Something Better
by SomeTaters
Summary: He was only there until something better came along, or so he said. He never meant it. However, those words just may come back to him as a lost pilot brings forth memories and secrets from Stork's past. Could this pilot be something better?or just seem it
1. Passing the Storm

-(SH)-

**Something Better**

By Sandy Toes

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**Chapter 1: Passing the Storm**

His finger gripped tightly onto the handles as the ship suddenly jerked up and down. Looking over his shoulder for a minute, he saw his friends also grabbing onto anything near by to keep themselves on their feet. Turning back to the window, the merb almost winced from the frightening sight of the storm. Rain buffeted the large ship as thunder rolled over top of it. Lightning was the only thing lighting the way, whether it was good or not, there was a lot of it.

"Can we find a place to land?" Aerrow asked, trying to keep everyone calm as Finn looked as if he was about to snap. Stork again looked back from his place at the wheel and glanced over to Piper who stood by her charts. "I can't tell where we are in this darkness," the girl said, her voice a bit frantic.

"Well I can't see anything either, which means we'll probably hit something and crash," Stork said, his usual melancholy tone. Sighing, the merb just tightened his grip, squinted a bit to see better, and readied his body for all the bumps and bruises about to be registered to the Condor.

As a piece of mountain suddenly made itself present, Stork pulled up on the controls and turned them sharply to the side, causing the rest of the Storm Hawks to all go toppling towards one side of the Condor. Another peak rose from the storm's darkness, sending the Storm Hawks flying the other way. Stork's merb feet were meant for grip as he stood as still as he could.

Knowing they had to get higher, but afraid of going through the storm clouds, Stork began to debate in his head where they had more of a chance of living. Testing themselves against the storm and the natural landscape, a high possibility of finding themselves crashed and dazed with a mountain going through the ship; or rising through the heart of the gale and possibly getting to safety with the chance of tearing the Condor apart. "What are our options Stork?" Aerrow asked, knowing just what the carrier pilot was thinking as his eyes darted back and forth.

"Up or down," stork said, "Neither of them are safe. We'll be doomed either way." Then Piper spoke up, her knowledge going a bit beyond maps and plans.

"If we stay where we are we'll crash, not even Stork can pilot blind. But if we head for the clouds, we could possibly get above them, where we could ride out the storm…"

"But?!" Finn asked, stretching the word. "We could be struck by the lightening or torn to pieces before we ever get higher than a few thousand feet." All looked at the girl, except for Stork who had to keep his eyes on the road before him. "It's worth the risk," Aerrow said, suddenly finding himself falling forward and holding onto the table. Piper did the same and tried to keep her maps from falling onto the floor. Finn went crashing into Junko, who in returned found himself pinned against the wall, nearly missing being sent through the doorway.

Stork held on as tightly as he could as the Condor's nose rose into the air. Without any more from Aerrow, Stork had known what to do. Although he could have given some warning to the others, but every second was precious to the Condor. The more she sat in the storm, the less of a chance they had of getting out alive.

Lightning, rain, winds, all of it passed over the Condor as Stork just pushed her upward. He wasn't trying to dodge the lightning, knowing it would be dangerous at these speeds and could actually send them into another bolt. But then again, the phenomenon wasn't really targeting them. The rest of the Storm Hawks were silent as they tried to keep themselves from panicking or falling any further than they had. All eyes were on Stork as he looked determined as ever.

Twisting the handles, Stork increased the speed just enough. The rain got heavier and the winds got stronger, as the menacing clouds above them seemed to get closer and closer. The lightning increased and the thunder grew louder. There was a great moan, letting the sky knights know that the Condor couldn't take much more. Stork gritted his teeth and gave one more good thrust on the controls. The engines gave one great burst of energy, sending the Condor ripping through the thick storm clouds.

Milky gray clouds swirled and parted before the Condor, as parts were temporarily lighted by flashes of lightening. There was another moan from the ship, this time louder and longer. Aerrow, Finn, and Junko all looked up, hoping the roof would not rip open, sucking them out into the wild tempest before them. Another creak, this time right above the bridge of the Condor. The metal seemed to be being pulled and would soon come off, as the groaning and creaking continued. "_Just a bit more_," Stork thought as he could see the clouds thinning.

Without warning, the Condor burst from the clouds, the rising sun coating it with heat and glorious light. Stork temporarily let go of the controls in a bit of disbelief, but took hold of them again just in time to settle the Condor out and allow it to fly slowly above the raging clouds below it.

Letting go a breath, Aerrow also released his grip of the table and walked forward. "We made it…" The other Storm Hawks straightened themselves and each stood near Stork, watching the sun before them begin to rise. It's beautiful pink and orange flooded the bridge, seeming to calm everyone's racing hearts.

-(SH)-

The room was dark, as she stood before her crystals, playing with the dangerous things as if they were merely a child's toy. Her dark eyes watched as each rock was placed into its specific slot, glowing with powerful energy that fueled the world of Atmos. Slender, pale hands worked their way over keys to control each crystal as a dark hood shielded her face. A bit of recognition appeared in her eyes as footsteps approached from behind. "They survived the storm, didn't they?"

There was a scoff behind her, the voice obviously not being surprised by her knowing. "Even such a powerful weather crystal couldn't rid you of such pest, Master Cyclonis," a calm, steely voice said. The voice was that of a male who was full of confidence. Turning her head just a bit, as if she meant to look over her shoulder, Cyclonis asked, "And why did it fail?" Even he was behind her, she knew the man would be smiling. He always did when he was about to reveal something.

"Because it was an outside force. They depend on each other entirely too much. If one were to infiltrate the group…" At this, Master Cyclonis turned around and narrowed her eyes at the figure standing near the door. His body was suited in a black leather, what he wore instead of a Cyclonian uniform. Mainly because he was a mercenary, and she had hired him. "I already tried that. They found me out. Besides, you are known by one of them, he _surely_ will warn his friends."

Shaking his hidden face, the man stepped away from the wall and walked a bit towards the younger girl. "You had to hide your face, I don't. I can freely be a part of what they are. And we won't have to worry about him… before he works up the courage to confront me, I would have already won the rest of the Storm Hawks over. They will never believe the words from his mouth."

At this, Master Cyclonis allowed a maniacal grin to cross her face as she turned back to her crystals. "Very well, we shall tear them apart from the inside out."

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**A/N: **My first Storm Hawks story, what do you think? I tried before at one, but didn't like it. Besides, this one is original, and I like original. So, will you please REVIEW.


	2. Stranger On the Skimmer

"Fredd" - I ended it like that so you would read this chapter!

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**Chapter 2: Stranger On the Skimmer**

Finn couldn't help but do it. He had tried holding it back, but it didn't work. He felt it coming and the only thing he could do was let it go. Trying to conceal the large yawn, the blonde held up his hand as his other arm stretched out to side. Immediately, Junko let out a yawn to rival that of the sharpshooters. Radarr was next to fall under its spell, then Aerrow, Piper, and lastly Stork. "I'm going back to bed." Finn announced as he slouched tiredly and marched out of the bridge. "Me too," Junko said as well, being just as tired as his friend.

As the two boys left the bridge, Piper rubbed her face with one of her hands. She pulled away one of her fingers to take one last look at her charts (now sprawled across the table from the sudden rush just a few minutes ago) before she stood up. "I think I'm gonna get some more sleep too. You two okay by yourselves?" Piper asked, not wanting to leave if they needed her still. "We'll be fine. We'll wake you if we need you," Aerrow said, allowing the navigator to leave in peace and look forward to sweet dreams.

For about forty-five minutes, Aerrow stood with Stork, watching as the golden clouds went by the Condor. The sun was still early in its rising, causing the world around the two Storm Hawks to hold the slightest gold coloring. For the first time in the hour after they had broken from the storm, Stork allowed a small smile to make its way onto his green lips. His fingers loosened ever so slightly, keeping the controls steady but a bit loose.

Then the merb's dark eyes looked over to his leader, who was swaying just a bit as he stood there near the pilot. "I'll be fine on my own," Stork said, his 'could be' menacing voice speaking with concern. The red head seemed to be drifting off when his eyes seemed to snap back to reality. Looking at the pilot a bit confused, his mind quickly registered what the green being had said. "Are you sure?" Aerrow asked.

Nodding his head, Stork turned back to the skies, his eyes glancing at the clouds below him. Even though the light of the sun had found its way onto them, the storm still raged below. Not as ferocious as when they were in it, but still strong.

Aerrow nodded as well before turning around. Before he left the bridge, the teen gave one more look to his team mate. When Stork did not turn back around or seem as if he would change his mind, Aerrow headed into the living quarters of the ship, where rest would find him.

-(SH)-

Stork stood there, happy for the peace and quiet. Rarely did one get moments like this. He was on the Condor a lot, but he was usually only left alone if the others were out in a battle. So either way, the ship was rocking with action and noise. Letting out a small sigh of content, Stork relaxed a bit more at the wheel. The others would be up in a little while, it already nearing mid morning. Locking the controls in place, Stork moved away from the wheel. He would take the time to work on some of his latest gadgets.

While the merb pilot was working on some sort of rash detecting device, there was a sudden static coming from one of the radios they used to stay in contact during missions. Confused at first, Stork stopped his work and stared at one of the radios. When the static continued, the lanky being stood from his spot at the table and walked over to the device. Picking up the device, the merb made sure that it was off. When he saw that it wasn't, Stork sighed. He thought something was going to happen.

About to turn the thing off, Stork suddenly heard a muffled and broken voice. There were no real words, just sounds, but it definitely belonged to someone. Holding down the button on the earpiece, "This is the carrier ship 'Condor', over." Stork's voice had been a bit shaky, but he didn't think the other person would mind. Again, the static seemed to fill the room, when the reply came, loud and clear. "Mayday, mayday!!"

Stork immediately flipped on a switch that was close by. Two red lights over either door to the bridge, began to flash, as an alarm ran through the rest of the ship. In a matter of seconds, Aerrow was on the bridge with Stork. He hadn't been able to get any sleep. "What's the matter?" he asked automatically. Stork showed him the radio and the voice came again. This time even more urgent. Aerrow took the radio and put on the headset. "This is Aerrow, leader of the sky knight squadron Storm Hawks. What is your emergency?!"

There was once again static, then the man's voice came back. By this time, the other Storm Hawks were in the bridge. "I'm being pursued by Cyclonians. My skim- ugh… My skimmer isn't going to last much longer." Aerrow pointed to the others, indicating that they should head to their skimmers. Junko and Finn went running for the hanger, while Piper began to organize her maps. "What are your coordinates?" Aerrow asked, but this time the answer was immediate, as Stork turned back from the wheel. "Right in front of us."

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Aerrow and Piper stared in disbelief as a black skimmer, lined with silver and possessing the standard four wings, hit the deck then bounced back into the air before it could crash into the glass on the bridge. Behind it came four Tallons, them too barely missing the bridge. Then came their carrier, its horn blaring loud as it skimmed the top of the Condor, causing the carrier to shake a bit.

"Follow them!" Aerrow shouted to Stork as the red head turned around and ran as fast as he could to the hanger. Pulling hard on the controls, the merb began to turn the carrier around. Piper held onto her table as she analyzed the charts in record speed. "We're above some old, mountainous teras. We'll have to be careful if we go lo-" as if to prove her point, the Condor swerved to the right as it head after the Cyclonians, going below the clouds. A mountain, like the night before, had made itself known. Luckily, Stork was one of the best pilots and easily dodged the natural formation.

-(SH)-

The three skimmers raced out of the hanger and took to the skies. There were only four Tallons racing after the black rider (who wore a helmet with tinted glass). Although, the riders dark clothes allowed the Storm Hawks to see him better. "I need to reach him!" Aerrow called to Finn and Junko, who were already picking out their targets. They nodded and sped ahead, distracting at least three of the Tallons.

As his friends pulled away from the mysterious rider, Aerrow headed in. Coming up on the only Tallon left pursuing the man, Aerrow easily got rid of the pest. Pulling out one of his lightning blades, Aerrow simply sliced the weapon through the Cyclonian's engine. With a sudden cry of surprise and an exasperated look on his face, the evil Tallon fell towards the ground, allowing the sky knight to surge forward.

Moving next to the mysterious rider that they had been called to help, Aerrow took the time to check him out fully. He wore a black leather suit, and silver falcon wings were painted on the sides of his motor-bike like helmet. As black gloves gripped tightly to the handles of his skimmer, it was obvious that the man was fighting to keep the vehicle up.

"I'm Aerrow, of the Storm Hawks. Our ship, the Condor, is right behind us," at this, the man turned his head back, then pulled hard on his controls (much like Stork had done) and turned to face the Condor. Aerrow did a simple turn around and began to lead the rider back to the Condor. Meanwhile, the Cyclonian carrier ship had just begun to fire at the Storm Hawks, and Junko and Finn were finishing up with their opponents. Aerrow simply gave them a look, as he and the other rider dodged the attacks from the carrier, which told the two Storm Hawks to head back to the ship.

Finn pulled up suddenly as one of the shots nearly scraped the bottom of his skimmer. At this, the two friends quickly headed towards the Condor.

As Aerrow and the dark stranger on the skimmer rode side by side, Radarr jumped from Aerrow's skimmer to the stranger's. He began to make small repairs, just enough to get the man back to the Condor. Not seeming to mind, the man allowed the little mission specialist to work away on his skimmer. When Radarr jumped back onto Aerrow's skimmer, the man gave him a simply nod of thanks.

Just as the mysterious rider had acknowledged Radarr's help, one of the blasts from the Cyclonian carrier came down in front of them. In return, the Condor fired off several shots as it came close to the rear of the enemy ship. Suddenly, the dark rider, pulled away from Aerrow. When the red head looked over he was impressed. The man was riding on the wall of the carrier, his wheels actually touching the hull. Pulling behind him, Aerrow realized just how safe it was. The enemy ship couldn't fire upon them, but they still had to watch for the blasts coming from the Condor.

As if to prove this point, a large shot came from the Storm Hawks' carrier and blew away some metal right in their path. As if nothing happened, the rider pulled his skimmer back into the air. Aerrow did the same, but instead of heading away like the man did, he flew towards the hanger. Once the rider saw this, he pulled in behind the young rider.

Finn and Junko were just getting off their skimmers when Aerrow and the rider came into the hanger. Almost crashing into the other two, the rider shifted his weight on his skimmer, causing the machine to come skidding to a stop, not more than two feet from Junko. Sitting on the skimmer up right, the rider watched as the three other riders dismounted. Under the glass he smiled.

Walking over to the man, as he bent down his head to take the helmet off, Aerrow asked, "Are you okay?" Pulling his head from the helmet, the young man flipped up his head so his hair gently moved. It was black and glossy, cut short with bangs and spikes that folded backwards. Deep, charcoal eyes looked upon the younger teens around him. Setting his helmet, the young man (not more than 19 or so) spoke. "I'm fine. My names Draven Halls by the way. I'm sure you've heard a lot about me."

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**A/N: **Who is this Draven Halls? Why should the Storm Hawks have heard of him? Find out in the next chapter! Thank-you everyone for reviewing. I reply to all reviews, questions, comments… whatever. Just please REVIEW.

P.S. Draven means "hunter"


	3. Family

"Tall, Green, and Handsome"- Thank-you. I much appreciate your reviews. Answer to your question: B/c it keeps people reading.

"prya and pryo"- Thank-you, and here's the next one…

"Falcons and Penguins Don't…" - Thank-you for your compliment. I'm glad you will continue to read.

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**Chapter 3: Family**

The young man's charcoal eyes seemed to stare off into another world, as his face showed much pride and his chest puffed out a little. Aerrow, Junko, and Finn were silent as they watched Draven. Their own faces showing confusion. Seeming to come back to reality, Draven looked upon them. The lack of recognition present disappointed him. Allowing his shoulders to slack just a bit, Draven asked, "You have heard of me? I'm sure he talks about me all the time…"

"Sorry man, we've never heard of you." Finn said, his hand going to his neck as his eyes tried to make contact with Draven's. For some reason, he felt like he'd rather not look the rider in the eyes. Shifting his wait on his feet a bit uncomfortably, the blonde took a step back or two.

Aerrow watched as two of his friends began to seem a bit uncomfortable and Draven appeared very dissatisfied with the Storm Hawks' reaction to him. Stepping forward so he was a few feet in front of the black skimmer, Aerrow looked up at the young man. "Maybe we have heard of you, but a lot has happened lately. Our minds just might need refreshing. Tells us about yourself…" The red head hoped this would cheer up their guest. It seemed to work a bit as Draven straightened himself once again on his skimmer.

"Maybe so," the young man said, his voice gentle and full of kindness. Aerrow smiled a bit as he turned to glance back at Finn and Junko. The sharpshooter and mechanic seemed a bit better feeling, them too now looking a bit curious as to what Draven had to say. Turning back to Draven, Aerrow looked up at him expectantly. The young man nodded his head. "As you know, I am Draven Halls. However, that was not my birth name. I use to be Draven Copperstone."

"Your last name seems familiar…?" Junko stated, putting his finger on his chin. Draven nodded his head slightly at the wallop. "It should, it is the name that your-" the young man's voice was suddenly cut off when a movement to his right caught his eye. Turning towards the hanger door that lead into the Condor, Draven set his charcoal eyes upon Piper.

She stood there in the door for a moment, her eyes scanning the new arrival from head to toe. Draven did the same, suddenly catching her orange eyes. They stared at each other for a moment before Piper realized she had begun to blush. Quickly pulling her eyes away, Draven did the same and put on a shy smile. Piper fussed with her hands a bit before she began to walk towards the boys. Putting on her best face, the navigator stepped up to Draven's skimmer and held out a gloved hand. The young man took her hand and shook it. "I'm Piper, the navigator and of the Storm Hawks."

"It's a pleasure to meet you," the young rider's natural charm was coming out as he gently placed a kiss upon Piper's hand. Thus causing the girl to blush again. "I am Draven Halls. Your teammates here saved me from sure capture." Draven let go of Piper's hands and looked back towards the other Storm Hawks. All three boys were staring at Piper with raised eyebrows as they saw her blush and twist a toe in the ground. Watching as Piper sent a threatening glance towards Aerrow and the others, Draven let out a small laugh.

Finn then asked, "Yeah, why were the Cyclonians chasing you?" Draven's eyes grew a bit wider as his eyebrows rose. Then the surprised look went away and was replaced with one of great pride once again. "Yes, that. They were chasing me…" the young man reached behind him where a medium contain sat strapped onto his skimmer. Flipping open the lid, Draven reached into the box and pulled something out which was concealed in his hand. "Because of this." Opening his palm, Draven revealed a crystal.

All eyes were on the crystal, for it was different from any other they had seen. It was shaped liked a beetle. The crystal was a deep blue color with tiny swirls of silver in it. The stone caught the lights from the ceiling and reflected them back in a spectacular show, almost making the beetle look alive.

Closing his palm again, Draven smiled to himself as he saw the Storm Hawks suddenly snap out of a trans like state. Pulling out a silky black cloth, Draven wrapped up the crystal and returned it to the box. "Incase your wondering… I have no idea what it does if it does anything. But it must have been valuable, since after I stole it from the ship they literally went insane trying to figure out what happened."

"I was watching the whole thing from the bridge using one of the periscopes, that was some pretty cool flying you did." Piper said, her thumb jutting quickly towards the doorway she had entered from. "Maybe you could teach these three how to fly like that. Or even help out our pilot, Stork." Draven's attention seemed to go completely to Piper.

"Yes, your pilot. I've met everyone else it seems, I think maybe I should greet him." Draven's voice seemed to have a natural ease to it, as if he had thought about what he was going to say for sometime. Aerrow made a note of this. Even though Draven seemed okay (being an enemy of the Cyclonians) he still didn't completely trust him. Besides, there were so many questions to be answered. "Alright then, we'll take you to the bridge," Aerrow said, leading the way as Draven dismounted from his black and silver skimmer.

-(SH)-

Stork pulled one of the levers on the controls for the Condor's steering. The carrier's speed began to slow, the Cyclonian's being far behind them now. Letting out a small sigh, the green merb allowed his body to relax. It had been a bit hard, dodging the Cyclonians. The terrain was very mountainous, which made it hard to maneuver and actually gain some distance from their pursuers. However, the Cyclonian ship was much larger than the Condor. Stork had managed to find a crevice just big enough to fit the carrier.

After he had managed to get through the crevice, he had slowed the Condor so he could see if the Cyclonians were going to try and follow. When he looked into the periscope, he was surprised to see the red carrier hover before the crevice for a few seconds. Then it turned around and simple flew away, giving no signs that it was to continue the chase. This seemed odd to Stork, as he thought about it more. It wasn't like the Cyclonian's to give up on chasing them so easily. Especially when capture of the Storm Hawks meant great rewards from Master Cyclonis.

Still holding onto the steering handles, Stork found himself oblivious to the world around him. His mind was too concentrated on the fact of the Cyclonian retreat. With how deep he was into his thoughts, it was no wonder the merb nearly jumped three feet up when Piper called the pilot's name.

Turning around, his eyes wide in surprise, Stork took a couple deep breaths before he calmed down. Finn and Junko were trying to keep their laughter down, while Aerrow and Piper simply smiled at the merb. "Sorry," Piper apologized quickly. Then she turned her attention away from him and looked to the taller man standing behind the other Storm Hawks. "I'd like to introduce you to-"

"Draven," Stork seemed to almost say the name in disgust. The merb's attitude had suddenly changed when recognition ripped across his face at seeing the new rider. His fingers twitched, trying not to form fists as he stared at the man. Draven eased his look, his charcoal eyes suddenly going sharp, then easing into a "Yeah its me" look.

Aerrow stepped forward, watching as Stork's face also eased. "So you two have met before?" the red head asked, looking from Draven to Stork and back. "We lived together for some time," Stork answered, his voice still hinting a bit of coldness in it. Draven stopped himself from smirking as he moved towards the green merb. Being several inches taller than him, Draven looked down on the pilot when he got just a few feet away. "Yes, Stork and I know each other very well."

"Really! How's that?" Junko asked, obviously not catching the part about them being under the same roof for a while.

"Because," Stork replied, finding himself pressing his body into the control panel as Draven was so close. "For a time… we were brothers."

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**A/N: **Sorry this wasn't as long as the others and that it took so long to get up. I'll be posting a bit slow for this story. School's going to start next week so I get ready and all that stuff. Well, please review, I'd love to know what you think. And uh… see ya next time!


	4. Hunter and Prey

**A/N: **I think Stork has fur. OH, and I hope this is long enough for you. Kinda trying to make up for not updating in a while. Please **REVIEW**. Oh, and maybe you'll realize that I kinda make up words once in a while.

Anonymous Review Reply (ARR)

"Tall, Green, and Handsome" - Well I'll explain how their related in this chapter. Thanks for your reviews.

"Falcons and Penguins Don't" - Thank-you, and thanks for reviewing.

-(SH)-

**Chapter 4: Hunter and Prey**

_Night was finally taking its toll on the calm household. The lights succumbed to the darkness, while the crickets took their place on the stage and performed rather beautifully. Other than the tiny performers, there was no other sound, that is except for the slight creaking of a last step on a stairway. _

_A sudden white beam cut through the shroud that was night, showing the path before the source of the light. Small hands gripped tightly to the flash light, as shaky and unsure feet stepped forward. The small limbs inched forward, each step followed by a pause of silence. The tension was thick in the air, sweat dripping from the intruder's brow. Suddenly, the light beam wavered and there was the sound of shuffling feet. A slight "Umph," followed the slight disturbance of the night. _

_Then a young voiced hissed something. Which was answered with a glare through the darkness. Another young voice, this time one with a slightly whining tone, asked the owner of the first voice if he really had to be the one to get it. There was a harsh confirmation as the child moved forward into the darkness. _

_As if to confirm the disappearance of the beam of light, there was a slight click. Then a small grunt as the being placed the flashlight between their knees. A small hand was seen only for a moment from the moonlight. Lanky fingers wrapped around something then suddenly pulled back and disappeared as a larger, grander light brightened up part of the room. Thus revealing a kitchen and a rather nervous child with his back against a counter and the flashlight on the floor. _

_Yellow eyes looked away from the light in front of him and to the side where his accomplice was standing by the bottom of the steps. "C'mon!" the child called to the stiff one before the light. The boy's own eyes darted up the stairs then turned back to his brother. Gripping tightly onto the pole of the railing, the boy urged his brother to hurry. _

_Sighing, the young child moved forward. Peeling his body away from the counter, he moved towards the fridge, its shelves stocked with all kinds of foods meant for the party his parents were holding tomorrow night. _

_Picking up the flashlight by his feet, the little boy walked forward. Stepping as close as he could to the opened fridge, feeling the slight cold on his face, the boy reached up for the top shelf. To him, the refrigerator was quite large and very tall compared to him. Unfortunately, what his older brother wanted was on the top shelf. _

_Reaching up again, the child wiggled his fingers, as if it would make the jar of olives come any closer to the edge. Giving a small grunt to match his size, the boy lifted onto his toes and reached for the jar once more. Only this time his body leaned forward more than it should have. Unable to use his other hand, the child fell into the several shelves, jars and plates fell to the floor as he tried to hold onto something to keep him upright. However, this only furthered the damage as the shelf he took hold of could not support his weight and sent all the food on it flying at the child. _

_The boy waiting at the steps winced as if he was the one to be hit with all the food and trays. Panicking that the ruckus had awaken his parents, he rushed up the stairs and safely under the covers of his bed. Thus leaving his younger sibling to face the consequences of his influence. _

_A light suddenly flickered on as two tall beings looked into the kitchen. Two pairs of eyes searched hurriedly through the kitchen. Finally, a gentle set of brown eyes fell upon the source of the noise. Walking over to the scene, careful of the spillings from the fridge, a tall, lean woman crouched in her pink night gown. Looking at the young boy that sat in front of her, she tried to stop herself from feeling too much pity as she watched him. _

_Two green hands lay limply on either side of the child's body, as his cat like head rested on his chest. Two yellow eyes looked down upon his blue pajama top, as it was coated in juices and drinks. The merb's skinny, but short legs just sat out in front of him. Green, oddly shaped feet moved just a bit as a bottle of orange juice emptied itself next to them. Bringing up shaky hands, the merb child looked at his five fingers, then to the mess around him. With his bottom lip trembling, the child allowed tears to stream down his cheeks, ever so slightly matting his soft fur. _

"_Hey, hey, it's alright." Reaching out to her son, the woman wiped away some of the tears. That's when the child broke down, allowing full sobs to come this time. "Aww, baby." Taking the young boy in her arms, the benevolent mother held her son close to her chest. Dark hair fell over the merb child as he wrapped his arms around his mother's waist. _

_Letting the anger of seeing the scene before him wash away, the tall man that had been standing in the door way carefully made his way over to mother and child and crouched before them. He too reaching out, the man rubbed his son's back and couldn't help but give a small smile as he felt the shaking of the boy ease. _

_Watching this all was another child, this time a human one. His hands gripped two different poles that belonged to railing of the stairs. Dark eyes saw through the dark and into the kitchen. They narrowed in anger upon seeing the two parents cradling the upset merb. Tightening his grip on the railing, the dark haired boy watched for as long as he could. His hatred growing with every second he sat there. _

-(SH)-

"Draven?" a sudden voice broke through the memories of the young man. Blinking a few times to regain himself, Draven looked down to his right. His dark eyes seemed to smile along with him as he focused on the younger girl beside him. Watching her smile, Draven spoke his apologies. "I'm sorry Piper, I must have trailed off into my own little world. To warn you, it happens often. I constantly find myself easily distracted with memories and erratic thoughts."

Piper nodded as if she understood. "It's okay, I don't mind. Besides, if you drift off with me, I'll definitely pull ya back in," the warm skinned girl finished this with a bit of a blush and a soft smile as she looked away. Draven smiled as well. Sweeping his arm in front of them, the young man stated, "Shall we continue the tour?" Piper gave a slight giggle then began walking, the older teen right next to her.

Coming round a corner, Piper lead Draven to a rather open door. When the boy stepped in front of it, his eyes went a bit wide when he looked inside. Crystals were virtually covering the room. Placed in crates, under microscopes, hooked up to some machine, it was a quite a collection. Many were cut and ready to be used, others were in their pure state. There were signs of experiments (some seemed to be successes, others failures).

"Wow, this is quite a collection," Draven said, stepping into the lab. Piper's eyes grew a bit wide herself at the compliment. "Thank-you," she said in her almost husky voice. Then she stepped in behind the young man as he looked around the room.

Getting close to some of the pure crystals, Draven began to take notes in minds what color and luster they had, as well as cleavage and fracture. All of this would be important in the future. However, at the moment, he had to act a bit dumb, so as to confirm his ignorance of the crystal beetle he had stolen.

"How can you tell what it what?" Draven asked, picking up a finely cut blue crystal and tossing it in his hand. Piper immediately reached out for the powerful stone and took it from the young man.

"Please, not this one," Piper stated, as she placed the crystal back in front of a heater. "I'm seeing how it reacts to different conditions and so far I've found out that it only stays dormant while exposed to direct heat. As for your question…" The girl Storm Hawk went on to explain the different methods of telling which crystal was which and how to cut it so you could use its power. Draven nodded in agreement when he heard short pauses in her voice. However, his mind was going over all he knew about crystals and what he could possibly accomplish with such an impressive collection.

-(SH)-

The red head watched from his seat at the table, going over some of Piper's maps and courses. However, his eyes were always popping up from his work to check on the pilot. Who had his shoulders hunched a bit and his movements were not as fluent as usual. Aerrow had realized that their might be trouble between Stork and Draven when the merb had reacted so badly to his arrival. Yet he still thought that maybe the two could work out their problems and get along. Now… now Aerrow wasn't so sure.

Stork began to mumble to himself. Aerrow couldn't hear anything he was saying, but his tone was less than friendly. Becoming a bit more concerned for his friend, Aerrow stood from his seat and walked over to the tense carrier pilot. Putting a hand on the merb's shoulder, Aerrow pulled back when a warning look was shot over Stork's shoulder.

Looking at the merb's narrowed yellow eyes, Aerrow thought about how un-Storkish, Stork was acting. Stepping sideways, the red head found it a bit creepy when the merb pilot wouldn't take his eyes off him. "Uh, Stork are you okay?" At this, Stork's right eye twitched as it usually does and a corner of his mouth lifted ever so slightly. "Of course I'm okay. You just allowed the most horrible, most dangerous, untrustworthy being onboard and are inviting him to stay with us for a while. Why wouldn't I be okay?!"

Aerrow furrowed his brow as he looked at his friend. "Stork what are you talking about? I mean I hardly know Draven, but so far he seems like a good person."

"Well I've known Draven much, much longer than you," Stork suddenly let a small shudder rip through his body. "Believe me, he'll spell doom for all of us." Letting out a small sigh and allowing a soft smile to cross his face, Aerrow realized that 'doom' sounded more like Stork.

As he went back to seat at the table, the Storm Hawks leader placed a reassuring hand upon Stork's shoulder again. This time, the merb's body didn't freeze up like it had before. In fact, it seemed more relax. "Don't worry, if I see anything strange about Draven, I'll confront him." At this, Stork locked the controls in place, causing the Condor to lurch forward just for a second before it shifted into autopilot.

Stork turned to Aerrow (who had taken hold of the table with the sudden jerk of the ship) and quickly tried to talk him out of talking to Draven. "No, you see he's very good at lying. Believe me when I say I know!" The now almost frantic merb stated, doing his usual hand motions and stepping over to the red head as he steadied his feet. "After all, he is my brother. Right now Draven's just-"

Being reminded of Stork and Draven's connection, Aerrow soon came to realize what might be the cause of Stork's distrust in the new rider. "By the way, how are you two brothers? I mean he's obviously human, while you're obviously pure merb."

Stork stopped his ranting and looked quizzical at Aerrow. Then he walked over to the table and sat down as the red head did the same. Almost acting calm, Stork quickly explained. "I was adopted by Draven's parents. I was three at the time…" then Stork mumbled, hoping Aerrow wouldn't hear, "I had just lost my parents." However, the red head had heard.

"I'm sorry. I didn't know… So Draven just took you in as a younger brother?" Aerrow asked, a bit uncomfortable at the news of Stork being orphaned at such a young age. Aerrow still had his mother, and his father had died when he was old enough to at least know who he was. Aerrow tried not to look Stork in the eye, hoping to keep his sudden feeling of pity a secret.

The merb was even calmer now, saddened by the sudden remembering of his parents, no matter how little memories he held of them. "Pretty much. Although, after a while Draven was more of a bully than anything else. I got in trouble for most of his actions. He always tried to blame it on me." Aerrow smiled a bit, then leaned forward, his one arm supporting him on the table.

"Stork, that's normal for us, especially when we where five or six years younger. I remember a cousin of mine always trying to get their older sibling in trouble. How long has it been since you two have seen each other anyway?" the red head asked, now realizing that his theory had been confirmed, Stork was only comparing Draven to what he had done to him in the past.

"Just about four years," Stork said, his voice becoming more and more less cold and turning towards understanding. "Draven left home to train with his father's squadron."

Aerrow nodded and gave his friend a smile. "I'm he's changed since you last met, especially if he's been training with sky knights. Give Draven a chance, maybe he'll show you he's changed. I'm sure he's sorry for picking on you when you were younger as well." Aerrow said, watching as Stork rose from the table and made his way back to the controls. However, Aerrow caught something that the merb had mumbled under his breath before leaving his company, "Maybe, but I highly doubt it."

-(SH)-

One drove, one read, one played, one slept, one watched, and one ate. He looked at them from the doorway, his eyes taking in everything they saw, analyzing every movement, every breath, every word they spoke. He took it all in. For the next few days he would do this, finding their weaknesses and finding their strengths.

As one tossed a ball of paper across the room, another followed after it. Dark eyes tracked them. He would begin to plan an attack, a plan that would wound all members of the group. But not before he took them, one by one. Leaving only a weak and frightened member behind. That member would be vulnerable and he would strike. Strike hard, strike fast, strike with ferocity. Thus, weakening the rest.

He was a hunter, and they were his prey.

-(SH)-

**A/N: **Won't you please **REVIEW**. I mean I did spend some time writing this chapter. You could at least tell me what you think of it. Please!


	5. Making Friends, Part I

**A/N:** Just wanna say thank-you to everyone for **review**ing. Hopefully, you'll continue to **review**. I reply to all **review**s and accept Anonymous **review**s. So, please, help yourself. Sorry for taking so long to update. But if you **review**ed more, maybe I'd try to update more. I know there's at least ten people reading my story!

ARR:

"Tall, Green, and Handsome" - Thank-you, and thanks for reviewing. You'll just have to see, I like keeping my readers guessing.

"Falcons and Penguins Don't" - Thank-you, and thanks for reviewing. I'm glad you liked the flashback, I usually use one per story. Anyway, hope this is fast enough, I know its not super fast.

-(SH)-

**Chapter 5: Making Friends, Part I**

He hadn't realized just how damaged his skimmer was until he took a closer look at it. The paint was badly scratched and many dents ran along the skimmer. One of the tires would need to be replaced and the four wings were badly damaged. It was a miracle he even made it to the hanger without falling apart. The Cyclonians really did a number on him.

Sighing, Draven walked over to the black and silver skimmer. Placing a hand, as if to say sorry to the machine, Draven looked it over once more. It seemed to be even more damaged up close. Lifting up the back seat, Draven revealed a storage bin. In it were several tools and two different spray paints. Pulling out one of his dent removers, the young man began work on his ride.

-(SH)-

_Earlier that night_

Piper sat with her elbow on the table, supporting one side of her face with a fist. Her eyes were half open and seemed to hold a far-off dreamy look in them. A soft smile slipped onto her lips as the young navigator slowly ate the plate of spaghetti before her. Beside the entranced Piper was the blonde sharpshooter. His own blue eyes would look up from his plate of food as he watched the older teen across from him. When Draven would notice him, Finn would go back to quickly gobbling up his food.

Aerrow was able to keep himself from glancing at their guest. Instead he concentrated on enjoying the meal and trying to keep Radarr's tail out of the plate. The small mission specialist sat upon the leader's shoulder, holding one of the meatballs on a fork. The fury creature began taking small bites from the rather large food item, causing some of the sauce covering the meatball to fall on the back of Aerrow's uniform. Junko was much like Aerrow, minus the sauce.

However, Stork and Draven couldn't help but stare at each other. One holding an almost smug look, the other glaring from beneath his brow. Needless to say, Stork was the one who was glaring. His fork furiously sifted through the pasta on his plate. There was no sauce, there was no meatballs. He didn't like too much stuff on his food. Almost scratching the plate, Stork slowly began to grab the attention of his team mates.

Draven caught Finn looking at him. Realizing he was being watched by two of the other Storm Hawks, Draven allowed his face to ease into one of a content. Taking a bite of his food, the older teen ignored Stork's vicious stare. Chewing, then swallowing, he didn't have to make up the next words that left his mouth, "Piper, this pasta is delicious. The sauce is fantastic."

The compliment seemed to pull the dark skinned girl out of her trans as she sat up straighter. "Thank-you," Piper replied, blushing a little as she took the first bite of her dinner. It was a bit cold from just sitting there and from the cool metal of the fork that had been shifting it around.

Giving the girl a slight nod, Draven went back to eating. As they all remained silent, the tension became even more intense as Stork continued to glare at his "brother." Aerrow finally looked up from his food, his plate nearly cleaned. Looking at each of his fellow Storm Hawks and the older teen, Aerrow finally decided that it was time to learn more about their guest.

Clearing his throat, the red head watched as everyone turned their heads towards him. Finding Draven's charcoal eyes, Aerrow ignored the others and tried to strike up a conversation. "So Draven… What do you do? Stork told me he hasn't seen you for quite some time." At this, Draven set down his fork and wiped away the little sauce on his lips with his napkin. Making sure all food was out of his mouth, the dark haired rider looked towards Aerrow to reply.

"Well, after I trained with my father for two years, making me 15, I decided I didn't exactly want to be a sky knight. Instead I became a mercenary. Performing different tasks for people and earning enough to keep me alive," Draven said. "However, I never did anything major, like hunt someone down or steal something. I guess I was more of an errand boy at the time, rather than a mercenary." Draven paused, allowing comments. When none came, he just checked everyone's faces and saw a bit of interest all but Stork's. The merb was still poking his food, only this time slower and more solemn than before.

Continuing, "That is until the council contacted me." At this, Aerrow leaned in a bit and became really interested. Seeing this, Draven gave a small grin. "They had heard of my skills from some of my former clients. Apparently, Cyclonis had found the location of a rare, powerful crystal. It was rumored that this crystal was even more powerful than the Aurora Stone."

"That beetle crystal you showed us earlier? Was that it?" Junko asked, he too now directing all his attention towards the older teen.

Draven shook his head and reached into his back pocket of his black, leather pants. Like his pants, his jacket was leather. Only the jacket was unbuttoned to show a black T-shirt beneath. Pulling out the dark cloth, Draven set it on the table and unwrapped the crystal. This time, Stork couldn't help but look upon the beauty of the stone beetle. It's swirling blue color seemed alive in the light from above the table.

Finishing up tale, "So I infiltrated the ranks of the Cyclonian Talons and waited until I could take the crystal. I was just escaping with the stone when one of the guards caught me and alerted the others. I was lucky to make it out of the hanger of the carrier ship that was transporting the crystal, let alone make it to where you guys were without falling from the sky." Draven finished, everyone watching him, engrossed with his tale.

Leaning back in his chair, Draven put one hand on the back of his seat and smiled at the others. "I have more tales of my little adventures if you want to hear them. Including one where I faced the Dark Ace himself… and lived." At this, Aerrow allowed a smile to spread across his face. Interested in just who else had defeated the Dark Ace. "Please, Draven," the red head said, "tell us. I'm sure everyone is interested."

The older teen's charcoal eyes met with the red head's green ones. A grin had spread across his face as well. "Very well then. Where shall I start…"

-(SH)-

"Hey," there was a rather disturbing thud and the clank of a wrench as Draven hit his head on one of the wings, further denting the machine. Wincing and pulling his head out from underneath the wing, Draven looked up from his kneeling position, rubbing the hurting area on his head. "Sorry man," a now shy Finn said, looking down at the dark rider as he sighed.

Turning back to his busted skimmer, "It's alright. I've had worst." Draven picked up the dropped wrench and his rough hands began working on the flying machine again. Giving a grunt, the man tightened a bolt and put the wrench away only to pull out a spare part from the toolbox.

"Yeah I bet. After all, it sounds like you've been through some exciting things. I've never fought the Dark Ace myself, but Aerrow has." Finn said, putting his hands on his thighs and leaning closer to get a better look at the skimmer. Event he paint was scratched, Finn thought it was a really cool design and couldn't wait to see it when it was restored. Maybe he could do something like the black and silver lines on his own skimmer. The ride looked as if it was always moving through the clouds, the wind hugging the curves of the perfect machine.

Not intending to, Finn whistled. Draven stopped his work and looked up at him. The blonde gave a shy smile and looked down at Draven. "Sorry. It's, it's just that this is the coolest skimmer I've seen." Finn's excuse seemed to amuse Draven as he gave a short laugh and turned back to his work while shaking his head. "So, how long have you had it?"

"Just a little over three years. My father gave it to me. He always said I was his favorite. I never believed and always felt ashamed for such remarks. A father should love his sons equally," Draven said, lying through his teeth. However, Finn knew no better and simply shrugged the remark off. He was more interested in the skimmer than Draven's family problems. Even if they included Stork.

For a few moments, Finn just stood there silently and watched the older teen work. As the clinking of the wrench and the shuffling of tools filled the room, it seemed as if Draven was looking more and more over shoulder at Finn. Finally, the dark haired young man asked the blonde, "Would you help me restore the black and silver paint?" At this Finn's eyes went wide with excitement. "Yeah, totally!" almost loosing his cool, Finn calmed down and pointed both his fingers at Draven, "I mean… if you really want me too."

Draven smiled, pulling out one of the guns for the paint and handing it to Finn.

-(SH)-

"The sky is green, the grass is blue, and the Condor is actually just a really big bird," there were three beeps and the small red light on the radio sized device turned on. A green finger flipped a small switch on the machine and watched as the light faded away. As Stork turned off the machine, Piper removed the casing over her finger and pulled off a microphone that had been attached to her color. Standing from a chair that sat across from the odd machinery on the table, the dark girl walked over to her merb teammate.

"So, does it work?" Piper asked, putting one hand down on the table and leaning forward on the other one. Stork took the casing and the microphone and placed them on top of the radio sized lie detector. "Yes, unless the sky really is green and the grass blue, then we're all in trouble." This statement caused Piper to giggle, which brought a short smile upon the merb's lips.

Picking up the machine, Stork began walking over towards one of his storage boxes on the bridge. "I hope this'll help us with interrogating prisoners. I mean we certainly don't want another Cyclonian to trick us." Piper said, remembering when Master Cyclonis had tricked her.

The merb pilot walked back to his spot at the controls and checked all the systems. The Condor just hovered at night when they weren't in a hurry to get anywhere. However, the fact that the controls were locked did not keep Stork from worrying about his friends and the ship which had gradually become his. Sighing as everything checked out, Stork put his elbow on a clear spot on the controls and looked out at the starry night. Piper smiled as she watched her friend relax and slowly walked up behind him.

Standing beside the merb, Piper's orange eyes stared out into the night as well. She couldn't help but notice how peaceful it was compared to this morning's dark. The clouds just floated by, blocking out the moon but still holding some of the silver light. Some stars shone through the clouds above them, sparkling through the atmosphere. Immediately spotting two constellations, Piper folded her arms and let the silence consume her.

"You know," the girl turned to the green being next to her, who's eyes were still looking out the windows. "It does seem as Draven might of changed a bit. Before, when we were living with each other, he never was open like that. And to think that the council asked him to do a mission for them… but I still don't trust him."

Piper smiled, just thinking of the rather handsome human. Replying to Stork's statement, "Well, people do change Stork, for better or worse. We can't stop them. I'm sure by the time we're his age, we would have changed some as well."

"No, I hope not," Stork said, standing from his spot and turning towards one of the two doors leading from the bridge. Piper became confused and turned to follow him and was about to question what he had said. Then Stork took that opportunity away from her as he stopped just before the doorway that lead to the rooms.

"In the future, I want to still be friends with all of you. That is if doom doesn't catch up with us first," Stork shook his head ever so slightly and began to head towards his quarters. Thus leaving a touched Piper behind.

-(SH)-

Stork's stiff legs moved him down the hall, their shape giving him his unique walk. As usual, his arms seemed to come together in front of his chest and his shoulders hunched up a bit. Moving down the hall, Stork soon found his room and took a moment to stare at the door. It was a simple gray color and made of metal. It seemed like a regular door on the outside, but on the inside there were many locks and reinforcements to keep intruders out.

Looking at the ten keyholes along the side of his door, Stork produced one key and quickly inserted it in each lock in a strange pattern. As the key entered the last lock, the one just above the knob, Stork turned it and the knob at the same time. With a sigh, the door clicked and opened up a few inches. If Stork had failed to open the lock and the door at the same time, then an alarm would go off and a bucket of old soup would fall upon his head. However, because he did this every night, there was a very small chance that the merb would mess up.

Stepping into his dark room, Stork closed the door behind him and listened as each lock locked in place in the order that they had to be opened. Finally, the door knob spun quickly underneath the merb's hand and it too went back to its original position. Satisfied, Stork flipped on his light with a simple flick of his wrist.

Two florescent lights buzzed and flickered a bit before turning on. Turning around to look at his small room, Stork didn't get a chance to scan the area before he felt a pressure on his shoulders and he was being slammed into the wall. Closing his eyes as a sharp pain entered his head and back, Stork held his breath hoping whatever had happened, and who ever had done it, would just go away.

Unfortunately, the pressure on his shoulders did not dissipate and the green merb felt a sudden chill run down his spine as a warm breath made its way onto his neck. "Open your eyes, _Stork_." The voice was smooth, calm, and malicious. Opening one eye, then the other, Stork tried his hardest not to have his body tense up or shake.

Looking upon a grinning Draven, Stork's breath quickened as the older, stronger, teen tilted his head and caused a shadow to come over his already dark eyes. "You have a very tricky security system, although I was expecting no less of you. You were always paranoid." Stork kept his face as far from Draven's as possible. However, the young man tightened his grip on the merb's shoulders and his face grew even more fierce. "You know, your friends are easy to win over. I'm not surprised they accepted you into their little group. Already I can tell Finn and Piper like me, maybe Aerrow too. But he'll be some work."

At this, Stork gave a confused look, only causing Draven to give a small chuckle. "What do you mean?" the merb asked. Draven stopped laughing and looked slowly up at his adopted brother. "You never trusted me today, did you Stork? You knew there was something wrong, I could tell. Well, unlike your friends say, people don't change much. Especially, people like me," the last sentence was spoken directly into one of the merb's pointed ears.

Stork's eyes grew wide for a moment, his ears suddenly perking up. Not sure what Draven meant, but having an idea, Stork suddenly felt a fear for his friends. However, before he could think of Draven's sudden change in behavior, the merb was dropped to the floor. Leaning against his wall, Stork looked up at the tall human, who held a smug look upon his face. Stepping over the merb, Draven deactivated the security system and opened the door. He stepped out into the hall, looked both ways then headed towards the room that Piper had showed him earlier.

Meanwhile, the green merb sat there on the floor, his door slowly closing and gently clicking into place. The florescent lights hummed and seemed to dim a bit as memories of Stork's childhood came back. All the teasing and beatings from his older brother had seemed just like a bad dream, now they were all seeming more and more real. His heart was racing and his mind was going wild with the memories. Then a fear rose in his chest. It was a fear for his friends. Draven seemed like a trustworthy man in front of their eyes, but for Stork… for Stork he was just another reason to predict the worst.

The green merb rose to his feet and headed for his bed. He needed to calm down and think, think so he could convince his friends that Draven was there by coincidence. Gently lowering himself to the bed, Stork realized that he was still ignorant of Draven's true purpose there. Another thought dawned upon the carrier pilot: while he was trying to figure out what his older brother was doing, Draven would be making friends with his teammates.

-(SH)-

**A/N: **Hope you liked this one. Please **review**. I enjoy reading what you guys/girls have to say about my writing. I mean, my family can only insult me so much… anyway, let me know if you want Draven to **die** or not. I mean, I'm nowhere near the last chapter, but I need to know ahead of time. So, please, vote.

P.S. I know, I know what you're gonna say about Piper's statement on the condor. But remember, I have yet to see any other bird in Atmos besides a chicken.


	6. Making Friends, Part II

**A/N: **Thank-you so much to everyone who **review**ed. I really do appreciate it and I hope I can hear more from my readers. What you guys/girls have to say I really care about. You know, it's always great to get compliments, but critics can be just as helpful. Anyway, thanks once again for reviewing and all your kind words. Hope you enjoy this chappie!

(ARR)

"angel raziella" - Thank-you, and thanks for **review**ing. It's always good to see new faces. Glad you like the story (takes three rather exaggerated bows). I think I'll continue, not quite done with Stork yet. )

"Tall, Green, and Handsome" - Yeah, I think you have mentioned you love Stork. I love him too. Well, we'll see how everyone else feels. I can't promise a sequel if I don't know how this one's gonna end. Things are constantly changing.

"Falcons and Penguins Don't" - D Thanks for **review**ing. Your enthusiasm is much appreciated. He is a meany isn't he. Well, I'll tally up the final votes in the next chapter.

-(SH)-

**Chapter 6: Making Friends, Part II**

The earth rose slightly and cracked as more pressure was put on it. Pieces of rock fell from the bumps and soon the entire patch of earth gave way. A large metal harpoon fell from the hole in the cliff, swinging fast underneath the vessel that carried the grappling hook-like device. After a few large swings, the hooks just swayed slightly beneath the large carrier ship. Then they slowly began to move upwards and retreat into holes in the sides of the Condor.

As the hooks fell from the cliffs on either side, Stork turned off the autopilot that kept them hovering, and shook the controls like he did every morning. Thus making sure they moved as fluently as they always did before he turned full power back on. Every morning it was the same ritual, while the others slept in for at least another hour, Stork would already be on his way to their next stop. Piper always was prepared so she plotted out the courses for the merb pilot the night before.

Squeezing one of the handles, the green teen jolted forward as the Condor lurched from its position. Blowing his hair from his eyes, Stork squeezed the handle again, only this time more gently. A smile came to the Storm Hawk as his pointed ears caught the sound of the engines starting up and the carrier ship began to move past the cliffs.

Taking in a breath, and just remembering the events of the day before, Stork pushed on the handles and sent the Condor flying past the cliffs and into the open sky. Once free of the two rock faces, the carrier ship was open to fly much faster and rise to higher altitudes. Stork preferred it higher up, amongst the clouds and safely in the Condor. Smirking at the idea (he being more afraid of a rash than being thousands of feet in the air), Stork shook his head and continued on his way.

-(SH)-

By mid morning, everyone of the Storm Hawks was up and running, even their new guest Draven. As usual, Finn was irritating Piper with rock-like records on the only record player, while she kept switching the needle to her record. Scowling at the dark girl, Finn would plop the needle back on his own record. This went on for a few minutes before Radarr grew irritated and unplugged the machine, which caused confusion between the two teens. However, it did bring peace and quiet to the Condor as both the blonde and blue haired girl tried to figure out what was wrong with the record player.

Meanwhile, Aerrow sat by the radio, listening for distress calls and such things as that. Until yesterday, the skies and terras of Atmos had been pretty tranquil. Not that he wanted something to go wrong, the red head just had a feeling something was going to go wrong and trouble would soon find them. However, Aerrow just guessed that was his leadership skills kicking in. Although it did seem that it was how Stork (who was busy flying the Condor at the moment) felt most, if not then all, of the time.

Junko wasn't near the others. He was busy doing his morning check-up of the engines and other systems. The others had different morning jobs and Piper, Finn, and Aerrow usually got theirs done as fast as possible. But the peaceful wallop enjoyed walking amongst the different pipes and gears, as well as listening to them work. They were always in such perfect unison. A certain one would turn or release steam, then automatically another one would do the same. As if they were a bunch of Ravess' violin players and had been practicing together.

As Junko tightened a few valves here and oiled a few gears there, two eyes watched. They studied him from the darkness, taking in his movements and analyzing all his reactions. It was almost eerie the way the being took in every detail and immediately his brain began to permanently record it.

Suddenly, one of the older pipes ruptured, spraying steam directly in front of the walking wallop. Shooting his arm in front of his face, Junko fell to the ground, unable to do anything. As the steam continued to shoot out and heat up some of the nearby pipes, Junko desperately tried to think of what to do. The alarm hadn't worked on the last inspection and Stork had yet to fix it. So there would be no help coming, or so he thought.

Just as suddenly as the pipe had burst, it was calmed and the steam receded back to where it belonged. Looking up at the pipe, Junko saw a strange foam beginning to expand over the hole in the pipe and then harden. Staring quizzically at the foam, Junko nearly jumped from his spot on the floor as a tall being appeared from inside the tangle of other pipes.

"Well, that was a close one!" a cool, calm voice came. Slender fingers touched the foam and found it hard and cool, then two charcoal eyes looked down upon the confused wallop and an award winning smile flashed perfect teeth. "Are you okay… Junko was it?" Shaking his head blankly, Junko looked up at Draven. "Uh… yeah, I'm Junko. Thanks, for like helping me out. But how'd you do that?" The wallop asked as Draven extended a hand down to him and helped him to his feet.

Pulling up his left hand, Draven revealed a small, odd looking gun that twirled on his thumb. "By using this. It shoots foam pellets that expand then harden. I've found it useful now and then." Junko looked at it with an amazed expression. "Wow," was all that came from the 14 year old. Looking from Junko, then to the foam gun, then back to Junko, Draven flipped the gun into his palm and extended his hand to the mechanic. "Here, you might need it again. Stork can easily make more of the foam pellets needed."

"Are you sure?" Junko asked, his head tilted towards the gun but his eyes looking up towards Draven friendly face. Confirming the gift with a simple nod, Draven almost had to keep himself from smiling too slyly as Junko took the gun from his hand and immediately began looking down the barrel. "Can I call us friends?" Draven asked.

"Well of course! I'm really starting to like you, you know?!" At this, Draven only smiled more, realizing that reaching his goals would be much easier than he had previously thought.

-(SH)-

Draven and Junko had made their way to the bridge, all the while talking about what they had in common. It turned out that the wallop and human enjoyed a lot of the same foods. Which greatly surprised Junko, because the rest of the team did not really willingly eat wallop dishes. Especially his specialty which he had made when Piper was away from the group. "Gee, I never thought anyone else besides a wallop would eat that!" Junko said as the two teens stepped into the bridge, Junko holding the foam gun still in one hand.

All eyes, except for one pair, were on the two as they appeared from the doorway. "We were just about to go check up on you Junko." Aerrow said, leaning up from looking over the training schedule for that afternoon. "But it appears you are alright." The leader's statement made Junko nod excitingly.

Seeing the gun in Junko's hand, Finn jumped up from his seat near the window and walked over to his friend. As Junko had begun to explain what had happened, Finn stepped in front of him, ceasing the conversation. The blonde immediately picked up the gun and began looking down its barrel, much as Junko had done when he first received the gift. "Dude, what's this?" Finn asked, pointing the harmless gun at his teammates in a very childish way.

"That," Draven said, ready to reach out for the gun, "Is a tool. To be specific, it's a-" Draven's gloved hand was only three inches away from the gun when the Finn's finger accidentally pressed the button. There was a sudden silence as a small hissing noise was heard then the sound of something hardening. After that, there was still silence as all the teens present stared at the merb standing at the wheel. His shoulders hunched up more than usual and his grip tightened on the handles. "Oops," was all that came from Finn's mouth.

The reply to the statement was an angry look shot over the merb's shoulder, his eye twitching slightly. Everyone but Finn flinched, Stork looking quite angry. Finn just stood there and gulped, "Sorry man." Narrowing his eyes at the young sharpshooter, Stork looked from the blonde's face to what was in his hands. Recognizing what was in his hands, Stork let out an irritated sigh and turned back to the controls. Flipping a few switches and pulling back on the handles, the merb pilot stopped the Condor and put it in a hover.

Stepping away from the controls, Stork made a sharp turn and headed past his teammates and his brother, a large foam, fungus-looking, ball clinging to the back of his black hair. Everyone was silent as the annoyed merb receded into the halls of the carrier ship. After Stork had left their company, Draven was the first to speak, "Maybe I should go help him." With that, the older teen trotted off to catch up with the green being.

Meanwhile, Piper recovered from her shock and shot a death look at Finn, who replied with a confused look, "What?!" Piper just rolled her eyes and sighed (typical girl reaction) and began to walk after the two brothers. Looking from Piper, the sharpshooter looked for understanding from Aerrow, but the red head was already busy with trying to get the Condor going again. There was a certain place the leader wanted to train that day and Piper was already going to check on their friends.

Not finding what he wanted from Aerrow and Piper, Finn turned towards Junko, but the wallop just took the foam gun back and stuck the tool in his back pocket. Then the wallop walked towards the kitchen, he had yet to eat breakfast. Scratching his head as Junko left, Finn found himself looking down at Radarr, who had the same reaction as Piper. Sighing, the blue eyed Storm Hawk just collapsed into one of the chairs nearby.

-(SH)-

Stepping into the bathroom, Stork nearly winced in pain as he saw the mushroom looking clump on his head. Squinting at the mirror, the green teen moved a bit closer then poked at the foam. Realizing it was hard, Stork began to wonder if he could just snap the foam off. Placing one of his hands on the foam, the merb pulled hard on the white substance, but found that the foam was firmly attached to his head as his neck snapped backwards.

Right after he had tried this, an amused chuckle came from the behind him. Turning around, Stork glared at the person standing there. "What do you want? You're the one who gave Junko the foam gun." Draven looked at Stork and simply shook his head. Stepping away from the doorway, the older teen spoke, "I know, I know, but I had no intention of getting you into a mess."

"That's different," Stork said, not the least amount of sarcasm in his voice. Draven sighed and placed a firm grip on Stork's shoulder. Then, with one thrust, he spun the lanky merb around. "I don't know what you're talking about… hold still, I can take care of this." Stork rolled his eyes, then couldn't help but widen his eyes as he saw Draven hold up one of his hands and a blade popped out of a wooden handle. "Relax, it's the only thing that's gonna cut this stuff."

Stork gritted his teeth and begrudgingly allowed Draven to continue. It was hard for the merb to hold still as the human cut into the foam, gently jerking Stork here and there. "I said hold still," Draven hissed as he pulled off a chunk of the foam. "I'm trying!" Stork almost hissed back. Letting out a real hiss of pain, Stork couldn't help but reach up with a hand as he felt his hair being pulled.

Immediately, the teen pulled back his hand as a sting of pain caused the reflex. Draven cursed under his breath, slipping the last of the foam off Stork's hair. Then the human Took Stork's shoulder again, but this time was more gentle as he turned the merb around. Draven sighed as he watched Stork cradle his right hand, getting blood on his uniform as well as the floor.

"Sorry," Draven said, receiving a hard look from his younger brother. But the look almost held a bit of understanding in it. Rolling his eyes as Stork continued to glare at him, Draven began to look around the bathroom for something to stop the bleeding. As the young man moved to grab a towel, one of Stork's pointed ears twitched slightly and his cat-like head turned from his brother to the doorway.

"Stork! Are you okay!?" Piper shouted as she stepped into view, her orange eyes immediately catching the crimson red liquid dripping onto the tiled floor. Taking only a few quick steps, Piper stood before her friend and put a hand on Stork's wrist. Pulling the injured hand away from Stork's chest, Piper asked, "What happened?"

Only just noticing the girl in the bathroom for the first time, Draven forgot about the towel and quickly snatched the knife from the corner of the sink. Rubbing away what little blood there was on his shirt, Draven pocketed the implement and answered the navigator's question. "I was cutting out the foam and there was a little accident. There's really nothing to worry about, the cut shouldn't be too bad."

"It doesn't look that way!" Piper said, still holding out the green hand and looking at the cut that was between the thumb and the index finger. As Piper tried to focus more on it, seeing that the bleeding was as bad as she had thought, Stork suddenly became uncomfortable and pulled his hand away. "It's not bad, really; although I do suspect it will get infected. Once again, Draven, you've managed to-"

"The bleeding has all but stop. Wash it out with hot water and soup, then you won't die. I promise!" Draven said, rolling his eyes and putting up one hand and placing his right hand over his chest. Piper smiled a little, then watched as Stork glared at his older brother and turned to the sink. "He can be su-ch a baby!" the dark eyed teen said as he leaned a bit closer to Piper. Blushing a little, Piper nodded her head in agreement as she let a small laugh slide. Although, her concern for Stork kept her from completely enjoying Draven's company.

Stork opened up the cabinet above the sink, as the water helped the bleeding stop entirely. Pulling out some bandages and medical tape. Wrapping the bandage three times around his hand, Stork taped the end and turned around to face Draven and Piper. Not waiting for the merb to show her his hand, Piper grabbed Stork's wrist and investigated his work. Deeming it as good as they needed it, the dark girl backed up.

For a few moments, there was silence between three teens. Draven never liked silence, so he spoke first, "You'll have to wash the rest of that foam out. Of course, you might want to get out of those clothes first," the older teen said, pointing the bloodstain in the middle of Stork's chest. "I might as well take a shower, although I'll have to get new dressing for my cut afterwards. Well, at least I'll only have a small chance of getting infected."

Piper stared at Stork with wide eyes. That was the most enthusiastic thing he had ever said since they had met. Shaking her head clear, Piper thought maybe Draven was having an influence on his younger brother. However, before any more thoughts on this could develop, Piper found herself staring into Stork's yellow eyes. Then she looked down a bit and saw that Stork had slipped his fingers under his shirt. "If you don't mind," the merb said in his almost slithering voice, "Despite the many bugs in the bathroom, I take my showers alone."

-(SH)-

"We all ready to go?" Aerrow's voice rang throughout the hanger as Finn and Junko nodded 'yes.' Draven picked up his newly painted helmet, it's silver wings reflecting the light from the ceiling. Placing it on his head, Draven nodded at the red head. Aerrow smiled and nodded back before turning to the front of his skimmer. "You ready Radarr?" Aerrow asked, getting a thumbs-up from the small mission specialist next to him. Tightening his grip on his handlebars, Aerrow revved up his skimmer and shot forward as the hanger door began to open.

Three skimmers shot out of the hanger, their four fings immediately parting and allowing them to soar in the sky. As Aerrow's skimmer leveled out, Finn came up on his right and Junko on his left. Looking from one to the other, Aerrow nodded and turned his skimmer around. The other two did the same and all three were looking back at the hanger door. "Let's see what he can do," Aerrow said.

Just as the red head spoke, a jet black skimmer with silver lining shot out of the hanger; its four wings split open and allowed machine and man to rise quickly. The rider was dressed in black leather, with a black helmet that held silver wings. Just like the first day Draven met the Storm Hawks.

-(SH)-

**A/N: **And we'll start the next one with their first training session with Draven. Again, thank-you to everyone who **review**ed. And if you **review** this time, you get a cookie! Lots of cookies! We got chocolate chip, oatmeal, sugar, etc. You name it, we got it. But to get one, you gotta **review**.

Okay, so you can still tell me whether you want Draven to live or die, whether you changed your mind or not. Listen, Draven's still evil, even if he helped Stork a bit with that brother to brother kinda scene. You'll see his true side more and more as the story goes on. So, **review** please.


	7. Only the Begining

**A/N:** Thank-you everyone for **review**ing! I love you all! You see, I'm down with a cold and it really perks me up to see all those wonderful **review**s. I hope you enjoyed your cookies. This time I'm giving away lollipops for **review**s. If you don't want a lolli, then tell me and I'll give ya something else. Please, enjoy the chappie and let me know what ya think.

(ARR)

"Falcons and Penguins Don't" - Thank-you, and thanks for reviewing. Okay, here's your cookie.

**Chapter 7: Only the Beginning**

The dark rider forced his body to lean left, causing his skimmer to flip in the air and fly on its side. Plastering himself to the machine, Draven shot between Finn and Aerrow as a large whoosh of air followed the pilot. Immediately, the three Storm Hawks reacted, pulling their vehicles in the air and turning to face the older teen that had leveled out his machine.

Junko and Finn each went an opposite direction, turning their skimmers around and then pulling in close to each other. Aerrow pushed his skimmer forward and began to rise in the air. Pulling hard on the handles, he sent himself into a back flip on the skimmer. As the skimmer fell backwards, Aerrow targeted Draven with his eyes. The young man was being pursued by Junko and Finn and so far was only flying in a straight line. However, not another moment was given to the teen as his skimmer completed the arch of the flip and began to fall.

Gripping tightly to the handles, Aerrow threw his body to the right and caused the skimmer to follow as the machine curved upwards towards the other three riders in the sky. The training had just started to begin.

-(SH)-

"Oh wow!" Two dark hands gripped two, thin, cold metal handles. Swinging her body around and turning the periscope that was attached to the handles, Piper watched as Draven trained with the boys. With each move they made, the slender girl would take a few steps this way and that to keep up with the action. Her heart raced with excitement as she watched them race and dodge each other in the sky. "Stork! Come see this! Draven is amazing."

Rolling his eyes with great annoyance, Stork mumbled sarcastically, "Draven's amazing, come watch him!" Letting out a sigh, Stork put one elbow up on the control paneled and plopped his left cheek in the awaiting hand. Unfortunately, this was Stork's right hand and a slight sting of pain shot through his arm once weight was put on the injured hand. Gritting his teeth a bit and muttering, "Doom," Stork switched hands. "That's all Draven's gonna bring."

Hearing Stork's sigh, Piper temporarily pulled herself away from the intriguing "battle". Her brow furrowed as her orange eyes studied the seemingly depressed merb. Letting go of the periscope handles, the slender girl walked over to her friend and moved to stand in front of him. Bending down a bit, she caught his yellow eyes and just stared at him. Piper stared for a few more seconds and was about to say something when Stork's yellow eyes seemed to finally come into focus.

Jumping just a bit, Stork stood back from the controls and got his head on straight as he realized he had been caught up in thought. The incident from the other night was still puzzling the merb as he was still trying to figure out what Draven was doing. However, the problem would have to wait. "What is it?" Stork asked as Piper continued to stare at him.

"What were you thinking about?" the girl asked, moving back around the controls and walking over to the periscope again. As Piper put her hands back on the handles, she kept her eyes on Stork and waited for an answer. However, the merb pilot just returned Piper's stare for a moment. Then Stork let out a sigh and quickly said the first thing that came into his mind.

"Nothing important really," Stork said, turning to the side as if he meant to go somewhere. Facing back towards Piper, "I just thought of something that I hadn't before. It has to do with Draven, nothing important really…" Stork finished, hoping Piper wouldn't ask further questions. In truth, Stork did have something to tell Draven that he hadn't thought of before. But since that wasn't what he was really thinking about just a moment ago, he was lying a bit.

Piper was not satisfied with Stork's answer, in fact her curiosity was only fueled and the interesting training session between Draven and the others was forgotten. Stepping away from the periscope, Piper asked, "Well it sounds important. Especially if it has to do with your older brother."

"Technically," Stork said, pointing one finger in the air, "Draven's not my brother."

Rolling her eyes, Piper shrugged one shoulder and continued, "Well, Draven's like a brother to you. Besides, I think everyone's beginning to like Draven a whole lot. Maybe he'll end up staying with us. So it only makes sense that we learn as much-" Piper was cut off as Stork suddenly stepped forward and found himself close to Piper's face. One eye was in its usual twitch as the merb asked, "What!?"

Piper leaned back a bit and took a step or two backwards as Stork pulled away as well. His hands clasped together and his head stretched towards Piper, "What was that about Draven staying?"

"I was thinking he could join the team. So was Finn in case your wondering. I mean, by what I've seen already, Draven's an exceptional flyer and how he took on a whole Cyclonian carrier and survived proves he's a good fighter. We could use him. Don't you think?" Piper finished, one hand on her hip and the other was held out to the side. The poorly hidden eager look on her face soon turned to a bit of amusement and confusion as Stork just stared at her with his mouth half open and his eye twitching more than usual. "Stork?" Piper said, reaching out to touch the merb to make sure he was okay.

When the girl's hand got close to his frozen body, Stork pulled out of his trans. "Are you insane?! Draven can't stay with us!" Stork threw his arms into the air then began mumbling about the fate of them all. Piper only listened for a second before she furrowed her brow in anger and stepped forward. "Why can't he?!" "What?" "Why can't Draven join us?" Piper said, staring hard at Stork.

"Why?! Because you've only known him for two days, I've known him for… eleven years! Believe me when I say he can't be trusted." Stork said, trying not to yell, but not being able to help it. All the memories of when Draven use to pick on him and get him in trouble came rushing back. Then there was the day Draven left with his father and didn't say goodbye to Stork at all.

"You haven't seen him for four years! You're just being paranoid. In fact, you're always being paranoid!" Piper said, not realizing she was letting small feelings control her. "From what I've seen, Draven's a good person. You'll never see that until you let go of what ever happened when you were younger!" At this, Stork seemed to have nothing to say. It seemed as if Piper had won the small quarrel. However, the girl was not able to celebrate her small victory as Stork's voice got dangerously calm and quiet.

"I forgave him for the teasing, for all the times he blamed things on me, for all the times he got me into trouble. I forgave him for those, because I looked up to him. But what I can't forgive him for is leaving and never coming back… even after he knew." Stork said, his eyes narrowing just a bit as they watched Piper's angry face start to turn soft. "You see, he left with his father for training, leaving me with _his _mother. She was only like a mother to me. Then there was an accident with their training, one where his father died in a skimmer accident. Still, Draven did not come home after that, but continued to train himself. Then, shortly after that…"

Stork couldn't get out what he wanted to say as his ears perked up and he quickly turned around to face the glass. Piper momentarily forgot their fight as well as she looked towards the glass. Just as Stork turned around, a man wearing black leather landed on the deck and quickly across it as two arrows hit the deck, causing ice patches to form where they had hit. Then the man jumped off the end of the deck.

-(SH)-

Finn twisted his hands angrily on the handles of his skimmer, causing the machine to gain speed. The black skimmer before him raced on, the silver paint on the back of its wings reflecting the sun. As the black skimmer suddenly banked right, Finn was close to follow, ignoring Aerrow's orders to get back into formation.

The hot headed blonde raced after Draven as the more experienced pilot used the Condor to his advantage. Weaving in and out of the hooks keeping it attached to the cliffs, Draven soon confused Finn, which only furthered the younger teen's anger and determination. Draven couldn't help but laugh as he headed for the deck of the Condor.

Finn followed of course, ready to show Draven his sharp shooting skills. As Draven's skimmer neared the deck, Finn slowed down a bit so that he could load a bolt. He chose a frost crystal, so as not to hurt Draven, just his pride. Aiming the bolt, Finn was about to when he saw Draven jump from his skimmer and land hard on the deck as the machine started falling in a slope towards the opposite end of the deck.

A bit shocked at first, Finn hesitated until he realized Draven was okay. Gritting his teeth, the sharp shooter fired one bolt as the older teen began running across the deck. As his own skimmer got closer to the carrier's deck, Finn loaded another bolt as the first one failed to slip Draven up. Firing again, Finn sped up his skimmer in frustration as it hit the deck. However, Finn was too slow as Draven jumped off the end of the deck.

Watching in a bit of horror as the older teen fell towards one of the engines of the ship, Finn couldn't help but look in awe as Draven saved himself.

-(SH)-

Two cords shot from each of Draven's sleeves and soared towards the falling black skimmer. The cords shot past the skimmer just above the handles. But as the line ran out, they fell backwards and hit the handles, wrapping around them. Hooks on either end secured the cords to the skimmer. However, this was only half of what Draven was about to do.

Junko and Aerrow came flying above the deck and they looked down upon the other two riders. Finn's attention was taken from where his skimmer was heading, thus leading to the blonde's crash. As the skimmer neared the deck even more, the teen sharpshooter soon realized what was about to happen and that he couldn't prevent it. Letting go of the handle bars of the skimmer, Finn came to a skidding halt on the deck. Rubbing his lower back from the crash landing, Finn winced as he watched his skimmer hit the deck in front of him and spiral in the air. Then it rolled a few times, breaking it into pieces.

Seeing that Finn was safe, Junko and Aerrow sped towards the falling Draven. As they neared the older teen, they watched in amazement as the cords shot from his sleeves and wrapped around the handle bars. As the weight of the skimmer was now the only thing pulling Draven down, the young man's mind raced with ideas. However, he had everything planned out, knowing what he was going to do the minute he had leapt from the deck.

Coming close to the metal that made up the right engine of the Condor, Draven suddenly threw his head back, causing his feet to flip in front of him. His hard boots skidded for a moment before Draven gained control and began to ran along the curved metal surface. His skimmer kept falling however and it soon hit the engine. However, it bounced off the engine and continued falling, pulling Draven off his feet and into the air.

As his body moved away from the engine and into open air, Draven stared down at the skimmer. Letting a smile rip across his face, Draven squeezed his hands and his body suddenly increased in speed, the distance between him and the machine was diminishing. It was only with a close look that one would be able to tell that the cord was getting shorter, retreating back into Draven's sleeves.

The air rushed past the young man, but the sound of the cords being reeled back in did not escape Draven's ears. Soon he was only a few feet from his skimmer, yet still getting closer to the clouds just above the wastelands. Realizing he was running out of time, Draven pulled hard on the cords, bringing his hands in reach of the handles. Gripping onto the handles just in time, Draven pulled his body onto the skimmer. Hitting the gas and pulling the nose of the skimmer up, the older teen did not wait another second before continuing the session.

-(SH)-

Aerrow couldn't help but feel relieved when he saw Draven take back control to his skimmer. However, this sudden moment of joy was erased when the sound of crushing metal entered his ears. Turning his head sharply to the left, Aerrow saw Junko looking worriedly down at one of his wings. Looking at the same wing, Aerrow saw an iron ball attached to a chain fly through the top wing.

When the chain began to go back down, four metal spikes came out of the ball and dug into the wing as the ball fell. Clinging onto the wing, Junko could only look up at Aerrow for one moment as Draven's skimmer shot past the two Storm Hawks. Simultaneously ripping apart the two right wings on Junko's skimmer.

The wallop, on his skimmer, was sent flying towards the Condor, where he crashed much like Finn had. Landing on the deck and rolling a bit, Junko stood up and looked at his trashed skimmer. Then he turned back towards the sky, feeling a bit embarrassed that he was taken out so easily, but also excited that Draven had performed so well.

Junko gave Aerrow a thumbs up to show he was unharmed. Nodding towards the wallop mechanic, Aerrow looked down at Radarr by his side. "Ready to take Draven out of the skies?" The fury mission specialist grinned and smiled at Aerrow. Then he hunkered down in his seat and folded his ears back, determination written all over his face. "Good!" Aerrow said, gunning his ride forward.

-(SH)-

Draven gritted his teeth and banked left, the iron ball and chain following his movements and swinging out behind him, one of Junko's wings still attached to it. In a matter of moments, Aerrow was right behind. Trying to loose the younger rider, Draven headed for the cliffs that were around them. As Aerrow followed him into the cliffs, Draven's dark eyes scanned the cliff faces, trying to find any caves.

When it seemed his search was futile, an opening in the cliffs suddenly made itself known. Throwing all his weight to one side, Draven turned towards the cave, hoping Aerrow would back off. However, when it seemed that the teen was intent on defeating him in this session, Draven was forced to go into the cavern. Cursing himself for having to loose one of his weapons, Draven pressed a switch on the handle of his black skimmer and the ball and chain fell to the wastelands.

Aerrow smiled as he watched Draven towards the caves. "We've defeated the Dark Ace, we can definitely defeat Draven!" Aerrow said, smiling as he sped up to catch up to his opponent. Radarr smiled as well, the excitement was getting to the creature. As Draven entered the grotto, he seemed to go missing, his black outfit camouflaging him. Aerrow prepared himself and Radarr placed on of his fingers on a switch. Just as the Storm Hawk's skimmer entered the cavern, Radarr flipped on the headlights.

Aerrow slowed his vehicle down. Stalagmites and stalactites glistened in the light. All was silent as Aerrow and Radarr listened for Draven. Nothing was to be heard, save for the slow dripping of water. Looking all around him, Aerrow tried to find any sign of Draven's silver paint as his own skimmer slowly flew threw the cave. When no sign of the other rider could be found, Aerrow then began to find a place where he could turn around.

Although the formations of limestone were wide enough apart to let the skimmer through with its wings up, they were just close enough to make turning around impossible. Sighing, Aerrow signaled for Radarr to pull in the wings. A bit disappointed that they had lost Draven, Radarr nodded and pulled the wings shut.

Dropping only a foot to the ground, Aerrow placed one of his feet on the ground and turned the skimmer around. Deciding to keep it in ground mode until he reached the exit, Aerrow put his foot on the gas petal and was about to take off when he thought he saw something amongst the darkness. Radarr saw the confused look on the leader's face. Switching the lights onto high-beam, both Storm Hawks froze as they saw Draven's face, smiling back at them.

Before Aerrow could react, three chains shot from the sides of Draven's skimmer, creating an X as they crossed each other and went on either side of Aerrow's skimmer. The chains then wrapped once around the Storm Hawk's ride and the spikes came out of the balls on the end of the chains. As the balls dug into the skimmer, Aerrow pulled his legs up from underneath the chains and winced as Draven pressed a button on one of his handles. The chains tightened and the skimmer was crushed like a can of soda. However, it was not completely destroyed, for Draven made sure Radarr did not get hurt.

Aerrow jumped from atop his skimmer, Radarr soon scurrying up onto his shoulder. Taking one last look at his skimmer, which now looked like crunched piece of tin, Aerrow turned to face Draven. The older teen turned on the lights of his own skimmer, just as the bulbs in Aerrow's skimmer gave out. "Looks like I win."

The red head couldn't help but smile, "Looks that way." Draven smiled as well. "C'mon," the older teen said nodding to his back seat and pressing the same button under his left middle finger that had shot out the chains. It now pulled them back in as Aerrow's skimmer was ripped apart. Hissing as he winced, "Sorry, forgot to unhook 'em." Aerrow stood in front of Draven as Radarr looked back and hissed as well. Deciding it was better not to look, Aerrow hopped onto the back of Draven's vehicle.

It had been one of the more exciting training sessions he had been through. Never before had he had such an opponent that was as prepared and as dangerous as Draven. Smirking as he thought this, Aerrow decided it was a good thing to have Draven on their side. He would be a dangerous enemy. But the way things were going, Aerrow decided that even though he had lost the match, in the end he had won something greater: a new friend.

-(SH)-

**A/N: **YAY! I updated faster than before! Whoop whoop! Hope you guys liked this one as well. Remember, I love **review**s and I love to hear from all my fabulous readers! Please tell me how much you liked, or disliked, this chapter. Ooh, I can't wait to start the next one. In fact, I'll start it right now! Please **review**.

Thank-you for reading. I hope you keep reading. Oh, it also looks like Draven's gonna live through this one.


	8. Unforgiving Memories

**A/N:** Okay, remember, If you want fast updates, then I need reviews. Lots of reviews. If you don't mind just saying hi or something.

P.S. The music video isn't done, but I didn't want to leave you guys w/out an update for like a month or something. Hope ya like dis one too!

(ARR)

**Chapter 8: Unforgiving Memories, Part I**

_The rain was coming down harder and harder as the minutes ticked away. The streets filled with the water, creating little streams that flowed away into the gutters. Few people were out in the weathers, and those that were raced to cover. Well, almost everyone. One, small figure stood in the rain. His oversized raincoat swung around his ankles and loosely hung from his skinny shoulders. Two, roughly cut holes in the hood were just big enough that the being could squeeze his ears through. Now they seemed to droop as the gray world around him became empty. _

_Standing there in the rain, the small figure looked from beneath his hood, searching. Searching for a way to contact his brother. But all he saw was the wet, dull, empty world that lay around him. Gray buildings went dark as lights were turned off and people retired to their beds. Hazy street lamps barely lit the way as the small being stepped in the puddles, his odd feet making a splashing noise. _

_Despite this, the child walked on. He was determined to find what he was looking for. As the rain continued to pour, he continued to walk. As the heaviness of night surrounded him, the love for his mother took over his actions. Moving forward, almost blindly, the child stepped through the rain. Not worrying about whether he would catch a cold or not. _

_Finally, the small figure in the yellow raincoat stopped. His feet stood there in a deep puddle, ripples from the rain stirred the muddy water. But there was hope yet. Before the being there was a dark patch in the gray rain. One that was just a bit wider than he and as tall as a full grown man. A dark shape that had fuzzy but straight sides. Feeling an urge to suddenly run, the child took off. _

_Water splashed up under his raincoat, as raindrops flew from his moving arms. A strong wind blew against him, but the child kept his head down and ran as fast as he could. He was almost to the hard shape, almost to his destination. He would make it, he had to make it. Taking one long stride after another, the child was only a step away from the shape when… it disappeared. _

_Stopping the boy let his head hang and his arms go limp. His eyes looked from one side to the next, making sure he hadn't missed it. When he saw nothing but rain and houses, the child felt his heart break. It was a horrible feeling. One that could have broken any man, no matter how strong. It was a loss of hope, a loss of courage, a loss of life. Or it would come to that at least. _

_Realizing he had lost, the child slowly turned around, and still hanging his head in shame, he began to head back home. Home… that word would have no meaning soon. Taking in a deep breath and holding it, the child desperately fought back tears. "She doesn't need me to cry. She needs me to be strong," the child told himself, his words lost to the rain. _

-(SH)-

"That was incredible!" Piper chimed as Draven landed in the hanger, a ruffled Radarr and content Aerrow seated behind you. "I've never seen anyone fly like that!" again the girl praised the rider as he waited for Aerrow and Radarr to dismount before he took off his helmet. Smiling at Piper, the older teen placed his helmet on the back seat and swung his other leg off the skimmer. "Well I wasn't the only good pilot out there," Draven said, putting on a modest act. This only made Piper smile more as she shortened the distance between her and Draven.

Aerrow stepped up, standing with Piper on his left and Draven on his right. Radarr was exhausted and gave a large yawn as he jumped down from Aerrow's shoulder and headed for the door. About to step out into the hallway, Radarr suddenly found himself leaping to the right as Junko and Finn stormed into the hanger. Both of them immediately racing up to Draven and the others. Letting loose a sigh, Radarr was grateful his tail hadn't been left behind as he rounded the corner and headed for Aerrow's room.

-(SH)-

His fingers let go of the handle and the box was allowed to crash to the floor. It's contents bounced up and clanked against each other, small screws and such rolling around inside before settling. The tool box was small and it's green plastic was covered with hard blotches of paint and glue. It's handle was a black plastic, which was almost distorted from being knocked around so much. The hinges on the tattered thing were rusted and worn down from use; just by looking at the old box, anyone could guess that it would be placed out of order soon.

But the merb teen still used it. He had owned it for several years and now and he never had money to buy a new one. In fact, he didn't want to buy a new one, despite all the health hazards the thing presented. Stork tried to clean it whenever he could and oil the hinges, when the thing did fall apart, he would most likely use it for something else. Probably turn it into another "Doom Box." He hadn't made one for an attack from giant Sand Leeches yet.

Sighing, Stork crouched next to his old toolbox and opened it up, wincing as the thing creaked in agony. Gently flipping the lid back, the merb teen looked upon his tools, which were completely opposite of the box. They were all shined and almost brand new. There were a couple with faded colors, but other than those few, everything was well taken care of. Stork figured he couldn't fix something if the tools weren't fixed themselves.

Pulling out a pair of pliers and one of the wrenches, Stork turned around to look at the debris on the deck. There were pieces of Finn and Junko's skimmers scattered everywhere. They were punctured and dented, some even imbedded themselves into the deck of the Condor. The two skimmers had crashed so near each other that Stork could not longer tell which parts belonged to which busted up machine.

Sighing, Stork twirled the wrench in his fingers and stepped towards what he thought was Finn's skimmer.

-(SH)-

A fevering pink ripped across the sky, as the few clouds in the sky began to grow their golden bellies. Night was approaching, creeping steadily over the land and consuming all in it's path. Through the dimly lit sky one carrier still carried on its mission. Its two long engines broke through the clouds around it as the ship fell from the clouds. Gently flying through the sky, like a boat in water, the carrier ship headed into the sun, reflecting the golden light much like the clouds carried it.

On the bridge, all was calm and quiet as the evening light warmed those inside. Every Storm Hawk in the bridge was busy doing their own little thing. Piper was setting the table for dinner (as she did every night). She made sure every plate was neat but put extra care into where Draven was to sit, which would naturally be next to her. Then the teenaged girl scurried off to the kitchen where a special meal she had prepared was just starting to send it's tempting smells in the bridge.

As Piper hurried to the kitchen, Finn caught wind of the delicious smell and his nose started to twitch as he moved his head along the streaming smell. But his attention was snapped back to the small table in front of him when a friendly voice casually said, "King me." Looking down at the checkers board before him, the blonde seemed confused when he saw one of Junko's black pieces on one his end of the checkers board. "Ahh, I was going to win this one too," Finn complained as he placed one of the few black pieces back on the board.

Just as Finn whined about his wallop friend being the better of the two, Aerrow walked by and let a smile of amusement cross his face. Not stopping before the other two boys, the red head continued towards the front of the bridge where a tall figure stood at the wheel. Pausing for a moment, Aerrow's green eyes evaluated the way the figure stood. It was a comfortable stature, as if the figure had flown a carrier ship before. Giving a small smirk and realizing that with Draven almost anything was possible, since they were still learning about him.

Stepping up beside Draven, Aerrow kept his eyes straight as the older teen gave him a glance before turning back to the sky. There was a moment of silence since either teen didn't really know what to say. So they were content for the moment, listening to Piper cook, Finn whine, and the engines of the Condor hum away happily. Finally, Aerrow broke the silence, "So how long has he stopped at all?"

Draven shook his head, Aerrow catching the movement out of the corner of his eye. "No, I'm afraid he'll worm himself to death. I've seen him shiver every once in a while, must being getting cold out there. Hopefully the thought of a warm dinner with coax him inside." The young man finished a small smile on his face.

Aerrow shook his head, then replied, "I've never seen Stork work this hard or this slow before. It's like he's making sure everything's perfect. Maybe to impress his big brother?" Aerrow tilted his head towards Draven just a bit and looked up at the older teen from beneath his brow. Draven simply let out a small sigh. The red head watched as Draven's charcoal eyes seemed to dim a bit as he entered deep thought. For several moments it was like this then the older teen locked the controls of the Condor, still allowing it to fly straight in the darkening, but clear, sky. Moving away from the controls, Draven stepped up to the door leading onto the deck.

-(SH)-

Junko's skimmer was almost fixed, although he'd have to make sure all the tweaks were out of it tomorrow. Sighing as he picked up another piece of bent metal, Stork took out one of his dent removes and began to turn the pipe good as new. As he stuck the tool on and pulled on the handle, there was a loud pop as the metal was forced back out. Taking the pipe and bending under the wing, Stork attached the item to its proper place and pulled his head from under the machine.

Shivering from a sudden gust of wind, Stork gripped both his arms and rubbed them up and down each other. Little warmth came from it and the merb teenager decided it might be time to retire to the interior of the Condor. However, he delayed his plans when he heard the door to the bridge open. Placing down his wrench and picking up one of the parts that belonged to Finn's skimmer, the pilot pretended to still be engrossed in his work.

"Don't you think it's about time you came inside?" the voice was unmistakably calm and almost cold. Stretching blindly with his hand, Stork took hold of his toolbox and dragged it up next to him. This way he wouldn't have to look into his brother's cold, dark eyes as he worked. Then Stork simply rolled his eyes at his brother's comments and replied, "Don't you think it's about time you left?" Not turning to look at his brother, Stork could almost hear the sly grin spreading across the young man's face.

Draven's heavy boots made small vibrations in the deck as he stepped up behind Stork and crouched behind his brother. In an almost threatening voice, he whispered, "Oh, but Stork, I was just starting to fit in so nicely. You're friends have been nothing but kind and I'm sure they wouldn't mind me staying a bit longer." Draven's warm breath sent chills down Stork's spine as the teen closed his eyes and tried not to remember when Draven had done this to him as kids.

Trying not to show the least bit of apprehension, Stork replied just as coldly, and with more of a threatening tone. "Once we get to Atmosia, you deliver your crystal and you leave me _and_ my friends, alone. Until then, I don't want you near me." Stork was quite surprised how menacing he could sound. Turning his head slightly, Stork just caught a glimpse of Draven pulling away and standing up.

Figuring his older "brother" was going back inside to tell more lies, Stork tried to find out as much as he could. "What were you doing in my room that night anyway? Besides trying to spook me, you had to have had another reason for trying to disable all twenty-seven of my security systems." The question made Draven stop on his way back to the bridge.

"I was looking for something… but don't worry, I didn't find it." Draven's voice held a rather deceiving tone to it. Of course Stork could always tell when he was lying, but he couldn't tell this time if it was a genuine lie or just one to put him in a panic. However, Stork did not have time to think on the subject as Draven continued to shorten the distance between him and the rest of the Storm Hawks.

Twisting around, while still crouching, Stork was about to call out another question when he looked into the windows of the bridge. Aerrow was staring back at him, his green eyes looking him over. For a moment, Stork's yellow orbs caught Aerrow's jaded ones. Their was curiosity and worry in them. Breaking eye contact, the carrier pilot turned back to the skimmers. He began to slowly gather the loose parts and put them in his toolbox. Stork would later return with chains to secure the two skimmers to the deck.

Standing from his work spot, the merb teen picked up his heavy toolbox, giving one large grunt as his thin arms tried to keep the box from spilling it's contents back onto the deck. From inside, Aerrow held the door for Stork as Draven and the others moved towards the table. Nodding a thanks, Stork dumped his box just inside the door and followed his friend and leader to dinner.

-(SH)-

**A/N: **A little short in the end, but okay right? Well, I had to get something up and this is only one half of a larger chapter. Hence the name, Unforgiving Memories, Part I. Anyway, I'll get the next chapter up a lot sooner. Please review. Love ya all!


	9. Plans Set In Motion

**A/N:** I know what your thinking- "Finally! Jeez, I thought she'd never update. I mean, c'mon!" or something close to that, right?

Thanks everyone for reviewing. I'm sooooooo sorry this took so long to get up. School's been keeping me busy and… well I really need to put down my book sometimes. Anyway, hopefully I'll be updating more as the weekend is here. Love all my readers! Enjoy!

**P.S. **We're getting down to the last chapters. I hadn't planned on having many in the first place. But hopefully I'll be able to put of the story into these last few chapters. Don't worry, we're not finished just yet!

**P.S.S. **I made this one longer than I intended to. Thought you guys (and girls) would like a treat. Although much action doesn't happen here, but plenty of action in the next chapter! Oops, I've revealed too much!

(ARR)

supergirl saves the world- Thank-you! I'm really glad you like the story. I try and keep 'em interesting. Everyday? Well then I'll have to try and update a bit faster, won't I? (2) Okay, okay, I'm updating! I've just had a whole lot of tests shoved at me at school though. I'll try and update more. Thanks for reviewing!

**Chapter 9: Plans Set In Motion**

The door to the bedroom swung open, disturbing the peace and quiet of the room. There was a small click and florescent lights buzzed and popped on, illuminating the room. A frantic figure stood in the door way, his mind whirling and buzzing with so many thoughts. Trying to control his panic, but not doing a very good job at it, the being gripped a green tool box and tossed it onto the floor before slamming the door behind him closed.

Stork could only stare at his room, everything from the sheets on his bed to the model of the Condor on his dresser was neat and sterilized. However, the merb looked upon his room in disgust as if he could see the many germs squirming around and thriving on his possessions.. Eye twitching and breathing unsteady, Stork looked around his room in desperation, those taunting words still swimming in his thoughts. '_I was looking for something…_' "What did he take? What did he take?!" Stork muttered as he moved to his dresser and threw open all the drawers.

Pulling out several different devices (a few inventions of him that never really appealed to the others) Stork's green fingers gripped onto a clipboard that had several pages attached to it. Then picking up an oddly large, maroon, ball point pen, Stork looked down at the papers before him. In black letters, the heading read STORK'S STUFF; below this, in small print, was DOUBLE CHECK EVERYTHING.

Sure enough, it was a list. Numbered items starting with 1, ran down the page with two red squares next to them. The numbers and items ran on for several pages, all attached to the clipboard. It seemed Stork kept track of everything down to the last silky, green hair on his body. Turning around, wearing a look that was on the edge of delusional, Stork stepped forth and began to check off items.

-(SH)-

While Stork was away in his room, the rest of the Storm Hawks were still at the dinner table, their plates clean and their stomachs full. Each of them wore a smile that showed eagerness. The only one not wearing one of these grins was Draven, as she sat with all their eyes staring at him in expectancy. For the last half hour they had been engrossed in the older teen's stories of being a mercenary. Every single one of the Storm Hawks (minus Stork) were hanging onto every word that came out of Draven's mouth.

Piper sat next to him, a bit of a dreamy look mixed with her current look of anticipation. Her arm had unknowingly slipped around Draven's. The older teen didn't seem to mind, but actually seemed a bit happier when the girl did so. However, across the table sat Aerrow. His green eyes stared at Piper and Draven's arm before he directed his attention back to Draven. Radarr was much like his master, completely in a trans while listening to the action-packed missions Draven had been one.

Meanwhile, Finn and Junko sat next to each other. Every time Draven finished a sentence, the pair would nod their heads excitedly, as if urging him on. The identical looks upon their faces was enough to make anyone laugh. Unfortunately, no one really noticed the two friends who sat one either side of Aerrow.

Draven leaned back in his chair, his voice echoing from the bridge and throughout the Condor. A general look of content was on his face as he spoke of his 'adventures'. Getting to a most comical part in the story, the young man's smile grew even more as he let a small laugh off before telling the others what had happened. "So there Beaky is, holding this rather large egg in her hands. Her face is covered with dirt and her hair is in such a mess…" Draven let out a small laugh, "Tom and I are just staring at her trying not to laugh. She barks at us, demanding what's so funny. So Tom just blurts out, 'You got the wrong egg!'"

The others burst out into laughter. Draven allowed his own laughter to mingle with the Storm Hawks'. His laugh was much older and almost seemed strained. But everyone else was too busy laughing themselves that they didn't really notice. Although Radarr stopped his small squeaky laughing for just a moment and looked quizzical at Draven. However, the small blue mammal was sitting on his masters shoulders and had to grip hard onto Aerrow's head to keep from being flung to the floor.

Finn wiped a tear away from his eye and took in a deep breath as he leaned back in his chair. "Man, that was hilarious. I'm surprised my sides didn't split," at this the blonde gave another chuckle and let out a sigh. Meanwhile, Piper squeezed Draven's arm a bit and looked up at him.

"You've done so many things and have met so many people. I haven't heard of most the places you've visited!" the dark girl leaned in a bit more. Draven gave her a sly smile, which made Piper blush. Then she realized how close she had pulled herself to Draven and blushed even more and pulled her arm out of his. Giving a short laugh, Piper rested her arm on the table and tried to hide her face with one hand.

Finn, who sat across from her leaned over a bit to look at Pipers now darkened face. When she saw him looking at her, all the embarrassment was washed away and Piper gave Finn a warning glance. Letting a grin slide up one side of his face, Finn pulled himself back to a normal sitting position. However, before Finn could bother Piper any more, and before Piper died of embarrassment, Junko had asked for Draven to tell another story; humbly obliging, Draven took a moment to think then started to tell of another one of his adventures.

-(SH)-

Stork pulled his head out from underneath his bed. His hair was in complete disarray, his clothes were wrinkled, and certain patches of fur had been bent the wrong way, giving the teenage merb a scruffy appearance. This was hardly like his usual clean, neat look he tried so hard to keep. However, Stork had more things to worry about than his clothes, his hair, or his soft, short, green fur.

With his knees tucked under him, Stork clicked his pen back into action and put a nice and neat black check mark in the red square next to: NAIL CLIPPERS. And then another one right below that for OIL STAIN UNDER BED. Leaning back, Stork sat crossed leg on the floor and took a look at the rest of the checklist. There were only three items left and Stork realized he no longer owned those items. Two he had lost due to some incident that involved Radarr, Finn, and a flaming ball of wax. The other one Stork had just plainly lost.

Scratching off the last three items, Stork let out a frustrated sigh and tilted his head back. However, he forgot how small his room was and just how close the dresser could be. Banging his head against the wooden piece of furniture, Stork just closed his eyes and took in a deep settling breath. Letting out the breath, the merb suddenly opened his eyes in alarm. Something had just popped into his mind. Something he had completely forgotten about for so long. Yet there it was in his mind, as clear as if it were yesterday.

Standing from his spot on the floor, Stork turned to face his dresser. Putting two hands on either side of the thing, Stork gave a large grunt and pulled the dresser a few inches from the wall. Letting out a breath, Stork zipped to the side of the dresser and looked behind it. Sure enough, there it was, just like he had placed it there the first day he found the Condor. How long ago was that?

Not dwelling on the though, Stork leaned into the dresser as much as he could, plastering his face against the wall. With all his might, the green teenager stretched out his fingers till they couldn't stretch no more. Realizing he wasn't going to reach the item behind the dresser, Stork pulled away and didn't feel much like moving the large piece of furniture again. Turning around, the merb went over to a pile of inventions he had dug up while completing his check list. Sifting through the pile, the teen soon found what he was looking for and took hold of it.

With a clatter of several other devices, Stork pulled out what seemed to be a long rod with a small steel orb attached on the end. However, there was a small trigger at the end of the rod. Stork held out the rod in front of him and pulled the trigger a few times. The orb suddenly split in two, revealing dull teeth, and closed again as Stork released the trigger. Smiling, the teen walked back over to the dresser.

Sliding the grip behind the dresser, Stork moved the device towards the item attached to the back of the dresser. Sliding a part of it into the teeth of the gripper, Stork let go of the trigger smiled as he pulled the item off the dresser, tape ripping from the wood but remaining attached to the plastic bag that had been hanging from the dresser.

Pulling the trigger again, Stork allowed the plastic bag to fall into his hands and the steel rod to drop to the floor. The bag was no bigger than the merb's palm and it was clouded. But if one really looked at it, they would see the outline of a dark rectangle inside the bag. Taking his fingers, Stork pinched either side of the bag and pulled the top apart with a sort of zippering sound.

The dark rectangles turned out to be pictures. Not many pictures, only about a dozen. Each one was worn down on the edges and the color was fading, but one could still relish the memories that they brought back. Stork was a bit excited a bit anxious about the memories that might be brought up with the pictures. But deciding he would deal with that when it come to it, he slipped two of his green fingers into the bag and pulled out all the pictures at once.

-(SH)-

She walked with a content smile on her face, still blushing from her minor embarrassment just a few moments ago. The normally bold girl's face was looking down at her feet as she strode beside the older teen. With hands clasped behind her back, Piper kept down the urge to look up at Draven who seemed rather oblivious to her rare discomfort.

For a few seconds the pair walked the corridors of the Condor, counting the doors as they went. Some old lights flickered on and off, giving off an eerie feeling in some of the hallways. Momentarily distracted from her escort, Piper noted that she would tell Stork of the lights and see if he could fix them. Smiling a bit more at the thought of watching the teenaged merb change the electric crystals (which made up the lights in the hall), Piper suddenly realized that she had stopped walking.

A curious Draven stood only a yard away, his head cocked to one side as he looked down the hall at the dark girl. "Is there anything wrong?" the older teen asked in his smooth but steely voice. Coming out of her daze completely, Piper called out a small apology and trotted up to Draven. The boy simply smiled broadly and began to move with long strides. Piper easily kept up to him.

Coming to one of the last doors in the sleeping corridor, Piper abruptly stopped and turned to her right. Draven stopped as well and pulled back so that Piper could reach her door. The girl didn't look up at the older teen until she had her hand on the door knob and the door halfway open. Staring into Draven's charcoal eyes, the girl said, "Well, I guess this is goodnight. I hope you liked the dinner?" Piper's voice had a hint of anxiety in it, but Draven took no notice as he put on a charming smile.

"Yes, it was the best meal I've had in a while. And it was quite fun sharing stories with you and your friends," at this, Draven let out a small smirk. "I wish Stork had only been more forgiving towards you and had stayed. Honestly, he holds grudges too easily…" Draven's eyes seemed to become unfocused for a moment and stare past Piper into another world, another time. "Draven?" Piper's sweet voice rang in the man's ears.

As the older teen snapped too, Piper could have sworn she saw a flash of malevolence in Draven's eyes. Then thinking she was only tired and Stork's grudge must be rubbing off on her, Piper shook her head and opened the door fully. "Guess I better get to bed, I'll see you tomorrow." Not looking away from the young man before her, Piper noticed that his face drooped a bit.

"Yeah, hopefully we'll meet up beyond tomorrow. Incase tonight's let you forget, we're reaching Atmosia tomorrow. My mission will be over and I'll be gone-" Draven stopped when he saw the somber expression on the girl's face. He couldn't help but allow his lip to curl as he realized that meeting his goals may not be that hard. However, the small smile was wiped from his face as dark eyes looked back up at him. "What's the matter Piper?" Draven asked with his fake innocence.

Shuffling her feet a bit and looking up at Draven from under her brow, "I was hoping… well you see we could always… maybe if I talk to Aerrow…" It was almost amusing how Piper was trying to get the words out. She obviously wasn't ready to voice her admiration for Draven yet, but wanted to know his opinion on something. Finally regaining her composure, Piper stood straight and looked into Draven's eyes. "I was wondering, if it's alright with Aerrow and the others, whether or not you would consider becoming part of our squadron. We could always use another fighter." There was a proud smile now on Piper's face as she waited confidently for Draven's answer.

Instead of acting delighted, Draven looked up at the ceiling and rubbed his chin in thought. A bit of doubt hit Piper. Then Draven let a thoughtful "hmmm" hum from his throat. Again Piper suddenly felt a bit more confidence rub away. Finally Draven pulled his hand from his chin and suddenly said, in a casual nonchalant way, "Well I guess it couldn't hurt anyone."

There was a small cry of excitement as Piper jumped and wrapped her arms around Draven's neck. "I'll ask Aerrow first thing in the morning! I'm sure he'll say yes!" with that, Piper said a final goodnight and slid into her room. Draven smiled after her, only his eyes showed his true intentions. As the door shut, Draven's innocent smile faded into one of complete arrogance. What Piper didn't know was that Draven's decision would hurt everyone.

-(SH)-

An ivory face, long dark hair, beautiful charcoal eyes, and a loving smile looked up at the teen as his finger ran along the curve of her face. The soft, green finger flowed from the chin of the woman to a patch of dark, long black hair. Then it gave a small flick over a small green ear and traced the short, but pointed face of a young merb. Two happy, yellow eyes stared back up at him, both too large for the child's head.

Returning the smile to the two happy beings in the photograph, the green fingers slipped the photo up and behind the small pile that was firmly clasped between the index and thumb. Letting out a small choke of a smile, identical eyes from the one in the previous picture, only fitting nicely with his head, fell upon two young kids sitting in a large puddle of mud. Both faces of the children were hardly recognizable, but one could tell who was whom if they looked hard enough.

Again the merb child looked directly at the camera, his green fur now coated in patches of mud, causing his hair to stick to his two small ears. Next to him, with a freshly made mud-ball in his hand was an older looking boy. His face, clothes, and hair were caked with mud. Two charcoal eyes (like those of the woman) narrowed playfully. It was not hard to guess what had happened next. Another smile crossed the teens face as he stared at the little scene. It had been taken years ago, but the few happy memories like this were still fresh in his mind.

However, at the moment, there was no time for reminiscing on the many memories stored inside his head. More important matters were at hand. The teen's face suddenly went rigid and a look of loathing crossed his features. Stork's two green ears folded back and his yellow eyes narrowed at the picture of the two children in the mud. His dark pupils stared at the mischievous face of the human boy.

Dropping the pictures to the floor, Stork stood from his spot, his legs slightly tingling from sitting on them so long. Taking in a deep breath, the merb tried to calm his anger. _He may fool them, but I _know _what he really is. If only they had grown up with Draven…_Stork thought as he turned from the pictures and reached for his door handle. Unlocking all his locks, the merb opened the door silently.

With one last glance, the merb looked down upon the many smiling faces that were scattered across the floor. Then with a small look of disgust at seeing once again those young charcoal eyes, Stork stepped into the hall and closed the door.

-(SH)-

Just like an hour ago, Stork walked down the corridor of the Condor. His oddly shaped feet and legs gave him his usual, unique stride. His hands, however, did not take their usual place in front of his chest, but instead one hung loosely at his side while the other ran along the wall of the corridor. The crystals creating the lights had gone out just like they do every night. Thus leaving the merb in complete darkness.

Yet, despite the slight hindrance, Stork was able to find his way through the dark. Unlike Radarr (whom could completely see in the dark), Stork had limited night vision. His eyes were still just a bit better than a humans, but he would need his goggles to see almost perfectly.

Too agitated to worry about the goggles, Stork moved silently towards the bridge. The thought that Draven was sleeping peacefully in his ship (as a guest and not a prisoner) made Stork seethe with anger. He couldn't sleep knowing that little fact and besides, the Condor was docked at night. Which meant that Draven would be with him longer than need be. However, if Stork were to drive at night as well, then he could cut that time in half and say goodbye to his brother before eating lunch. Smiling at the thought, Stork moved a little faster towards the bridge.

However, in his haste, Stork completely forgot to watch his feet. Nearly running down the corridor, the merb moved closer and closer to the door that lead to the bridge. Happy thoughts of saying farewell to Draven and returning to normal life, buzzed in his head, blocking out all other quiet noise that he might've heard in the silent night of the Condor.

Almost at the doorway, Stork suddenly felt a sharp pain run from his ankle up the rest of his leg and register in his brain just as his face hit the floor. For a moment, the merb just laid there. His knees bent, his face smashed against the floor, and his arms laying limply on the floor. Then there came a large sigh and Stork finally lifted his arms, pushed them against the floor found himself on all fours. Finding the position rather uncomfortable, his legs not at all liking it, Stork went from a kneeling position to standing upright.

A bit confused at what had happened, Stork clutched his aching head and placed one hand against the wall for support. This was the second time he had hit his head that night. However, the merb ignored this fact for a moment as he turned to see what had tripped him. But there was nothing in the hallway and only conclusion the merb could draw was that he had tripped over his own, awkward feet.

Letting out another sigh, the teenage carrier pilot continued on his way. However, his mind mulled over what had just happened and soon Stork couldn't accept that he had simply tripped over his feet. Yet still his desire to get rid of Draven as soon as possible urged him on; finally Stork stepped into the bridge.

-(SH)-

Slowly the sun rose, its golden light sweeping over the land and lighting the way. Hills and flat land gained a golden highlight while the bellies of the clouds grew to match the land. Above the clouds night still lingered, being gently ebbed away as light seeped up from beneath. As they were traveling west, the sun came up behind the Condor and shot beams across the carrier ship. Thus filling the bridge with soft morning light that reminded one more of a field than the inside of a carrier ship.

At the controls of the ship was an exhausted and weary eyed Stork. Dark rings had formed underneath his yellow eyes. The merb licked his dry lips and looked down at the steaming cup of coffee he had balanced on the control panel. It would be his fifth of the morning, seeing as he found himself tired earlier on in the night.

Taking another sip of the coffee, Stork looked out of the window and smiled gently at the sunlight, his eyes only half open. With a look of content still on his face, the merb continued to silently pilot the Condor and await the arrival of his teammates. After they would awake, Piper would cook and he would have warm food inside him, giving him energy. Which seemed more appealing then another caffeine filled cup of strong, black coffee.

-(SH)-

Surprisingly, it was not Piper to rise first from her sleep, but Aerrow. However, he awoke unwillingly. Radarr had perched himself above his master's pillow, his back right leg hanging just above Aerrow's nose. Apparently, he was dreaming something exciting, for every once in a while Radarr's leg would twitch and kick Aerrow in the nose. Needless to say, this woke the Sky Knight.

Opening his eyes for the umpteenth time, Aerrow looked up to see dark, furry pads above his face, only to have the small paw come down on his nose again. "Ouch!" Aerrow silently hissed, rubbing his nose. Sighing, the red head realized he did not have the heart to the wake the mission specialist (whom was in a deep sleep).

Gently scooting out from underneath the dangling leg, Aerrow didn't realize how small the bed was before he let out a startled cry and fell to the hard, cold floor. With his nose pushed against the floor (much like Stork's had been hours ago) Aerrow couldn't help but give a laugh. So much trouble for such a small animal. Shaking his head as he stood to his feet, Aerrow smiled at the still sleeping Radarr.

Changing quickly into his uniform, Aerrow ran his fingers through his red hair and then turned to leave his own room. He turned the handle and pulled opened the door… Aerrow suddenly jolted his head back, a look of surprise on his face. In the doorway stood a ruffled Piper, she had obviously just woken up and headed straight for his room. Her hair was completely tied back and she wore blue pajamas, which hung loosely on her curves. Her fist was raised in midair, as if she was about to knock.

"Hi," she said, recomposing herself and pulling her fist back to her side. "I was just going to see if you were up…" Piper seemed to blush a little as she stood there. Aerrow silently waited for the navigator to speak. He could tell she was just holding something in, holding something that she so deeply wanted to let go of. However, after a few moments of nothing but silence and Piper looking a bit uncomfortable, Aerrow made a gesture for her to come inside. Piper nodded and stepped over the threshold.

Once the door had been closed, Aerrow faced Piper, as the tall girl looked around his room in interest. Clearing his throat, Aerrow caused Piper to jump a bit then spin around and look into his green eyes. "What?" realization dawned upon her face, "Oh yes!" Pointing one finger into the air slightly, Piper moved a bit closer to Aerrow.

Before Aerrow looked back to Piper, he had leaned over a bit to see past his friend. Surprisingly, Radarr was still snoring softly on his bed. Smiling a bit, the red head straightened himself and did not have to anything as Piper burst out, "You-know-Draven-will-be-leaving-today-but-I-kinda-already asked-"

"Whoa, hold on Piper! I can barely make out what your saying. Now what about Draven?" Aerrow had held a very confused look the entire time Piper had been speaking. He had finally held up and hand to make her slow down. Aerrow had to admit, it was odd behavior Piper was putting on, because for the second time she blushed and seemed shy. "Please, more slowly," Aerrow finally said, leaving room for Piper to talk.

Taking in a breath, and wishing she would stop acting like a stupid girl, Piper restated what she had said. "As you know, Draven's going to be leaving today. However, I offered him another option once we delivered the crystal to the council. I asked him if he wanted to stay with us… you know become a Storm Hawk." Aerrow kept his calm face, but couldn't help but feel a little tug at his heart. He had grown fond of Draven and had actually intended on asking him himself if he wanted to stay. "Well, what did he say?" Aerrow encouraged Piper.

Taken aback a little at her leader's words, Piper put on one of her usual smiles and said, "He said yes, but I told him I'd have to ask you before it was final. So, can he stay?"

"Of course Draven is welcomed to join us. We could use his skill on the team, plus his expierence with the Cyclonians will help us greatly," Aerrow smiled as he said this. However his smile faded, and before Piper could thank Aerrow, she asked him what was wrong. "Well I know Junko and Finn will be all for it, I mean I think Draven's made quite an impression on all of us. But Stork…" Piper mouthed a silent, 'Oh', as she put on a disheartened look. Suddenly things didn't seem quite as simple as she and Aerrow had thought.

"Well, what are we going to do?" Piper asked, "We very well can't ignore Stork and I've already insured Draven he'll be able to stay with us." Aerrow nodded in silent agreement. Both of the teens let out a small sigh as they stood there in the quiet of the morning, Radarr's soft breathing merged with the humming of the Condor's engine… Aerrow looked up at Piper. "Do you hear that?" The dark girl nodded as if she had just recognized the sound that had been ignored until then.

-(SH)-

While Piper ran back to her room to change, Aerrow had headed down the corridor towards the bridge. Radarr had awoken right before Aerrow left his room and was now perched upon his master's shoulder. However, the small blue-gray creature was still tired and rubbed his eyes wearily.

It took only a few seconds to walk the length of the corridor and Aerrow soon found himself standing in the doorway to the bridge, which was lit with early morning light coming from the rising sun behind the Condor. Immediatley, the Sky Knight's green eyes ran along the floor to the controls at the front of the bridge, where a slim figure stood. The beings shoulders were slumped, and one hand gripped around a tin mug. Black hair lined the teen's face, unkept and ruffled.

Moving forward, Aerrow watched as the merb's green ears twitched and turned towards him. Then, slowly, Stork turned his head over his shoulder, his eyes wide, but tired looking with dark rings underneath them. His normally smooth, green fur was now just as messy as his long dark hair. Giving a twitching smile at Aerrow, the merb said, "Nice day, don't you think?" All of a sudden, Aerrow didn't feel like telling the pilot about his brother.

-(SH)-

**A/N: **Hello! Finally I got this one done. I'm starting on the next chapter already. However, I will only update faster if I get lots of reviews! Why? Well because the more readers, the more people I know like it! So, please review and if I get reviews I promise to update by Tuesday, no matter what! Okay? Deal? Excellent!

Hope ya liked it!


	10. Questions A New

**A/N: **I'M REALLY REALLY SORRY! I'm sorry I didn't update when I thought I could. But Thanksgiving plans just got in the way. Sorry to keep you waiting, _hopefully_, hopefully, I can update a little sooner. Now that most the Holiday chaos is over!

**Chapter 10: Questions A New**

Aerrow leaned against the doorway, his eyes darting from the corridor to the caffeinated merb standing by the controls and urging the Condor through the clouds. Radarr had grown bored upon his shoulder and had scurried off to the kitchen. But apparently the small mission specialist had not found what he was looking for there, for he came back only minutes later and settled himself in one of the seats of the bridge, keeping a wary eye on Stork.

The red head took a moment or two to study his green friend. After the pilot's greeting, Aerrow had been reluctant to tell Stork about Draven. In fact, he kept telling himself it was probably better if Piper was here with him. Piper would be able to handle whatever would go down and probably calm Stork (whom Aerrow did not doubt was most likely going to bring up horrible stories about Draven. The hatred between the two brothers was always clear when the two were together.)

Soft footsteps made their way to the Sky Knight's ears as he stared at Stork. Slowly turning his head, Aerrow saw Piper jogging happily down the corridor. She was now dressed in her usual Storm Hawks' uniform and her hair was back to being its spiky self. Giving a small smile as the girl made her way up to him, Aerrow pushed off the doorway and stepped just outside the bridge.

Piper stopped before him and asked anxiously, "Well, how did it go? What does he think?" Before answering, Aerrow took a look over his shoulder to see Stork's ear twitch a bit, indicating that he at least knew Piper had joined them. Whether he heard what they were talking about, Aerrow didn't know and he didn't want to upset Stork at the moment.

Taking hold of Piper's elbow, he gently pulled the girl down the hall and into the kitchen. Bumping a couple of pots as he stepped around Piper and shut the kitchen door, Aerrow turned to face the dark skinned girl. "What? What's wrong? I take it Stork didn't take it-" But Aerrow interrupted Piper before she could go any further. "Well I haven't told him yet!" Piper put on a look of disapproval, "I think he's been flying all night!" Aerrow added hastily in a whisper. "What?" was all Piper could say.

"Stork, I think he's been flying all night. We're only a couple of hours from Atmosia instead of nearly half a day," Aerrow watched as Piper's eyes widened in surprise then softened with understanding. "I don't really think he's doing this because he wants to help Draven…" Aerrow let his words sink in and Piper nodded.

"Yeah, unless he helps him right off this ship!" Piper kept her voice as calm as possible. It was true that Stork was her friend, but she was angry at him for being so stubborn. The navigator was also just remembering the altercation they had had the other night about Draven. "Stork just can't let things go. I know Draven's going to be a great help to this team!" Piper stated defiantly, turning to the stove. She thought she might as well get started on breakfast while she was in the kitchen.

Aerrow let out a sigh and moved to the cupboard to get out some food for the girl. "I know, I know." The two teens left it at for a few moments while Aerrow pulled out eggs, bacon, and some bread. Piper grabbed some leftover ham and other different ingredients to make omelets with. After everything was out, Aerrow stood back and watched the navigator suddenly turn into a chef.

As Piper began to make the omelets, Aerrow decided he should get the people for whom the breakfast was being made. Sliding out the kitchen door, the red head made his way down the corridor, the slight smell of the eggs chasing after him. Taking in the scent with his eyes closed and soft smile on his face, Aerrow felt a little better, even though he still felt a bit anxious about how Stork would react to the news. Taking in a small breath and letting it back out, Aerrow decided he would deal with it after breakfast.

-(SH)-

Looking down into the tin cup, Stork stared into the remnants of his coffee. The cold liquid swirled slightly with the moving of the Condor. There was a slight reflection, Stork's yellow eyes appearing on the black surface. Little ribbons of cream twisted in the dark pool. The pilot's grip on the tin cup tightened as gave one last look into it and then set it down on the floor.

Returning his free hand to the controls of the Condor, Stork stood there, his mind only thinking of one thing. _Just a bit further, only an hour or so before we get there. Then he'll be gone, he'll be gone…_The last words echoed in the merb's otherwise empty mind. However, the pilot's silent thinking was broken by the sounds from the Corridor behind him. Stork's green ears twisted slightly to hear a bit better. Aerrow's fist rapped on one of the doors and there came a long, tired moan. Stork couldn't help but give a small smile as he heard Aerrow yelling at the lazy blonde behind the door.

Next was Junko's room, the wallop being much easier to wake. Although, Junko sounded tired and irritated, he hastily opened his door (apparently fully dressed by Aerrow's shocked silence) and headed down the corridor towards the bridge. Then Stork's smile dispersed as he heard Aerrow knock on one more door. An alert voice answered him and the door opened. Draven's calm words rang inside the merb's ears. "Good morning Aerrow!" They sounded a bit happy and the carrier pilot could just picture the innocent smile his older brother was trying to put on.

However, instead of a cheerful greeting back, Aerrow's voice went into a hushed whisper. At this, Stork strained to hear, turning his ear further towards the corridor and leaning a bit to his right. Yet he was still not able to catch what the red head was saying. Becoming a bit irritated and a little paranoid, the merb stood back in his spot and waited for the others to join him. He was tired and grouchy, and now he his anger was directed at Aerrow and Draven. Why would they be whispering? Did Aerrow know he was eaves dropping? Well, _trying_ to eavesdrop was more like it.

It was these few facts that made Stork turn on Junko when the wallop walked into the bridge and gave a bright, "Morning Stork!" Turning sharply and holding that crazed look in eyes, Stork glared at Junko. The wallop stopped, his hand in mid wave. Looking a bit scared, the mechanic began to step back a little as the merb's yellow eyes narrowed. Gulping a bit, Junko turned around completely and sat at the table, his back to stork.

Turning himself back around, Stork hunched his shoulders a bit and slowly increased the Condor's speed.

-(SH)-

"Good morning Aerrow!" Draven had just heard the knock on his door. He had been expecting Piper, who had awoken him the last few days. However, Draven's look of surprise was only for a second as he put on a cheery face and greeted the Storm Hawks' leader.

The older teen made to say something when Aerrow suddenly held up his hand for silence and moved in closer to the doorway. Putting one arm against the doorway and keeping his other hand close to his chest, the red head looked up from under his brow and spoke in a soft whisper. "Look, Piper told me about you wanting to stay and I accepted. I mean, how could I not? But that's not why I'm whispering," Aerrow added the last bit, seeing Draven's confounded look. Continuing, "Please refrain from talking it over with Piper or anyone else. Stork doesn't know yet and-"

"Don't worry, I understand!" Draven interrupted (whispering as Aerrow had), his charcoal eyes had darted over to the green merb at the controls. Stork seemed to be leaning a bit to his right. "But thank-you for allowing me to stay with you guys. I really do miss being part of a team… Anyway," straightening up, Draven pulled his somewhat ruffled shirt tight and held his chin up a bit. The red head did likewise, but only lifted his chin to look up at the slightly taller teen. "I think I smell a delicious breakfast awaiting us!"

Nodding with a satisfied smile upon his face, Aerrow turned to head down the corridor. "I guess we should go eat it then," and he stepped away from the door completely and headed for the bridge. Draven seemed to hardly move as he gently stepped behind Aerrow. A malevolent smile parted across his face and faded almost immediately.

-(SH)-

It was only three seconds after the initial incident that Aerrow wished he had not been the one to give the news. But all in all, it had to be done and seeing as Junko and Finn weren't the most sensitive people, and Piper might come around a little harsh, and if Draven had spoken to him things would be much worse, it only made sense that Aerrow should do it.

The red head had decided to tell Stork about his brother half way into breakfast, while he was distracted by eating and not in such a foul mood as he had been a few moments ago. Eating his own omelet rather quickly, Aerrow took the last mouthful off his fork and set it down on the plate with a small clink. At this, Piper only glanced up at him, then looked up again, this time for a solid minute. Just seeing the girl's own expression, he knew he wasn't hiding his anxiety very well.

Clearing his throat, and looking away from the nervous look that had now spread to Piper's face, Aerrow caught Stork's eye as the merb looked up with the rest of the Storm Hawks. Once Finn had taken another large mouthful and had looked up as well, Aerrow cleared his throat again and tried to keep his voice happy and calm. He succeeded, "Finn, Junko, Stork, I have some… um… good news. We have gained another member!" Finn and Junko's eyes went wide with excitement, while Stork's turned into suspecting yellow slits. "Draven has agreed to join our ranks!" Aerrow said quickly, hoping that Finn and Junko's excitement would wash out Stork's anger. Unfortunately, the two found this the perfect time to be silent in surprise.

There was a loud crack and all eyes traveled from Draven's happy face to where the young carrier pilot was sitting. The merb's own eyes where upon his brothers, old hatred and loathing plainly showing in the two yellow orbs. A shaky hand held onto Stork's fork as it quivered between the pieces of his plate, which he had broken in his anger. For a moment, every one just watched Stork. Aerrow couldn't help but feel a bit of fear. He had been bracing himself for an outburst, not this this quiet anger.

Not sure if Stork was okay, Piper gently reached out to the merb sitting just across from her. However, when her hand was mere inches from his body, Stork's eyes twitched and the pupils darted to look down at the girl's limb. Then his mouth twitched and Piper looked up from her hand. Withdrawing her hand, Piper sat straight up in her chair, unfortunately, she squirmed a bit in discomfort as Stork's eyes followed her hand and then fell upon her face.

"Stork?" Draven asked innocently, easily hiding the excitement he felt. Stork's head jerked towards Draven, the deep loathing still present in his look. Taking in a deep breath, Stork kept his eyes on Draven as he pushed away from the table, his chair making a scraping sound. Finally dropping the fork from his hand, the green merb stood silently from his seat and moved around the table. Six pairs of eyes were upon him as he disappeared into the corridor.

-(SH)-

The girl's knuckles rapped upon the door for the umpteenth time. She let out a frustrated sigh and called with exasperation, "C'mon Stork, you can't stay in there all day! I mean, who's going to fly the Condor?" Piper's voice rang through the corridor and into the bridge. Her words had grown from pleading to annoyed in the past half hour she had been trying to urge Stork out of his room. But the merb's muffled reply would come through the door and cause Piper to fabricate another reason for him to come out. As was the case for her latest plea.

"Draven's already proved he can fly a carrier ship without my help. And maybe next time you'll have him put the Condor in hover before telling me you need someone to fly her!" Letting out an exhausted sigh, Piper slumped her shoulder and stared at the metal door before her. She had thought about breaking into Stork's room a couple of times, but then realized that would only set of God-only-knows how many alarms.

"Fine!" Piper yelled angrily at the door, her arms flung up into the air. "Stay in there and sulk! But that's not going to get rid of Draven! Either you accept the fact that he's changed and he's one of us now, or you at least tolerate him. I mean, c'mon Stork, what's your problem?" Waiting for a response from her friend, Piper stood there glaring at the door, as if she hoped her vicious stare would make it into the room and to the merb. However, when there was nothing but silence, Piper gave a rather disgruntled cry and stormed off.

-(SH)-

On the other side of the door, two thin, pale green hands were spread across the metal door. Stork had the side of his face pressed gently up against the door with the touching ear straining twitching from how cold the metal felt. With a searching look upon his face, Stork listened as Piper gave her cry and went back up to the bridge.

Once the girl's footsteps were soft enough, Stork let out a small sigh and pulled away from the door. He was still feeling angry and wasn't sure he could forgive Aerrow and Piper so readily. They had completely ignored him. They never asked how he would feel about Draven joining them. Draven, after all, was Stork's adoptive brother and he knew more about the older teen than the others.

His fingers curled into his palms against the door. Seething with anger, Stork stepped a few feet away from the metal entrance, his back toe landed on something smooth and almost slippery. Looking down with a bit of curiosity, Stork found himself looking into those charcoal eyes that belonged to Draven. They smiled back up at him, young and innocent at the time.

Not bothering to pick up the pictures from the other night, Stork turned to his bed and sat down. The bed springs gave a slight grown from age and something slid down the mattress to bump gently against Stork's leg. Only giving one of his inventions a quick glance, the merb blindly picked up the small object and tossed it back into the pile of inventions that he had made against the head board.

Letting out one last sigh, Stork decided he might as well stay in his room until they got to Atmosia. This would give him time to calm down and think things over. A constant battle had been going on in his mind. His experiences with Draven were fighting his love for his friends. On one hand, he knew Draven was up to something, and _that_ something was not good. Then there were his friends, whom were so ready to trust the older teen. He appeared harmless to them and accept for that small incident in the merb's room a few nights ago (which the others knew nothing of), Draven had not done anything to make them think otherwise.

Trying to calm the storm in his head, Stork reached over for one his less successful inventions and began to play with it. Soon the merb teenager was completely distracted with the task as he unscrewed things, took some features out and added new ones. It wasn't long before merb lost track of time.

Snapping shut the back panel of the small invention that laid in his open palm, Stork finally looked up at his clock that sat on the displaced dresser. Nearly four hours had gone by… four hours! Stork jumped to his three toed feet and threw the invention unceremoniously onto the bed. By now they were a mere two hours from Atmosia.

Even though he knew he would not be rid of his brother, he would at least be able to walk the Condor without having to worry about bumping into Draven. After all, the older teen would have to give a full report on his mission that concerned the stolen beetle.

Most likely, Piper, Aerrow, Finn, Radarr, and Junko would leave the ship with him for a little stretch. After all, they spent almost all their hours upon the ship or at least in the air. However, Stork was in no mood to join them if they went and felt like he needed to just be alone on the Condor for a while.

Stepping up to his door, the merb quickly unlocked the combination and headed for the bridge. However, for some reason, he decided to take a longer route. Piper might still be seething over their arguments and he didn't want to be bombarded with concern from Aerrow at the moment. Letting out another little sigh, Stork turned and headed down the other end of the corridor, turning right before reaching the back of it that lead to Piper's lab and other such rooms.

Walking down the small hall, Stork closed his eyes for a moment and listened to the pipes in the room next to him. There was an occasional hiss as some steam was released and then the hum of the engines working, then another hiss of steam and pressure. Junko usually took care of any damages, since Stork was typically flying the Condor. However, seeing as Draven was currently flying the ship, Stork decided a little check up couldn't hurt.

Coming out of the small hall, Stork easily located the door that lead to the pipes and opened it. Almost immediately he was blasted with the humid, hot air of the steam. Pulling the door shut behind him, Stork located a tool box and pulled out a wrench. Standing by the toolbox, the merb took in the scene before him. Many of the pipes were either a rusted brown or a dark gray. Shaking his head a bit at seeing the rust, Stork stepped into the maze of pipes.

Banging his wrench here and there, the merb took mental notes on the condition of the pipes and whether the heat was traveling through them properly. Several times Stork shook his head as he realized the pipe had had just inspected would need repairs or be replaced. Moving away from a particular group of bad pipes, the merb headed for the more crucial areas. A certain system of pipes near the back of the ship kept the engines from overheating by channeling energy from a frost crystal into the large engines.

Suddenly, Stork's trained ears twitched. There was something wrong, he could tell. By the sound of it, air was being released between longer intervals than normal. Plus, the air seemed rather warmer near these crucial pipes than the rest of the room. This was particularly odd because of the amount of frost crystals in the area. Moving further back towards the pipe, Stork stopped in his tracks as the orange haze of the room was suddenly disturbed by a white light shining in from the door.

Stepping out of the shadows and towards the door, Stork's yellow eyes caught the glimpse of Junko's tan skin moving towards another part of the pipes. A sigh escaped the merb just as another valve let out some more pressure and steam. Moving through the jungle of pipes, Stork gave a small "Hi," to the wallop as he walked past and him and out the door, not allowing Junko to respond at all.

Back in the hallway, Stork wiped the sweat from his face with his sleeve. He didn't understand how Junko could spend hours at a time in there. Moving off back down the hall, Stork stuck the wrench he had taken from the toolbox, into his belt and decided he should probably head back to the bridge. However, his little trek was interrupted by the sudden blare of the alarm and a flashing of red light.

-(SH)-

"We've got Talons coming up from behind!" Pipe pulled away from the periscope and watched as Aerrow, Finn, Radarr, and Draven all ran for the hanger. She then turned towards the controls of the Condor. Stork had yet to reach the bridge and the girl had enough training to fly the carrier ship (although her movements were a bit jerky). Taking hold of the handles Piper prepared to turn the Condor around and fire upon the Cyclonian carrier. But just as she went to pull left, a green hand fell upon hers and removed it from the handle.

A bit surprised at first, but thoroughly relieved, Piper allowed herself to be pushed aside as Stork took her position. Wrapping his green fingers around the handles, the merb looked more at place then she ever could. With a twist of the controls, Stork turned the carrier ship around. Piper fell to the periscope once again as her friend positioned the Condor. Looking into the instrument, the teen soon spotted the five Talon Skimmers and the Cyclonian carrier following from a rather unusual distance. Usually the larger ships were right behind the skimmers, but this one was barely in firing range of the Condor. Why was it slacking?

However, before the girl could ponder on this for another moment, four dark blurs cut across her vision and sailed towards the Talons. Piper smiled as the four skimmers slowed and she could easily make out the faces of Aerrow, Draven, Finn, and Junko; all four boys were hovering in the air, waiting for the Talons to get close enough. Taking in a breath of anticipation, Piper waited, along with the boys, for the first shot to be fired… but there was none.

Instead, the five Talons hovered back. They just sat there on their skimmers, staring back at the Storm Hawks. They seemed to be anticipating some command that would never come. Then, one of the Cyclonian warriors put a gloved hand to his helmet. His head nodded slightly in conformation, and he pulled on the handles of his skimmer. The others did the same and turned their bikes around. As quickly as their skimmers could go, the group of Talons retreated towards the carrier, which was slowly turning as well.

Confused, Aerrow looked from Finn, on his left, to Draven, on his right. Both of the other Storm Hawks shrugged and gave him a quizzical look. Slowly dropping his altitude a bit, the red head leader turned his own skimmer around and headed for the Condor. The others followed in suit. It was only a matter of second before the four boys had landed and were rushing towards the bridge.

-(SH)-


	11. Forgiven

**A/N: **Thank-you everyone for your wonderful reviews! I don't expect there to be too many chapters after this one, but I will continue to update as long as the plot doesn't get stale or way off course. Thanks again for reviewing guys!

P.S. This one's a bit shorter than I intended, but I think it works out this way.

-(SH)-

**Chapter 11: Forgiven **

All was quiet in the bridge. The seven Storm Hawks were all in deep thought. Each of them was thoroughly confused about what had just happened a few minutes ago. Aerrow sat at the table, his fingers silently tapping the air above his knee. He racked his mind for ideas, but those that came forth were utterly absurd and could not be presented. Next to him, sitting on the table, was Radarr. The small creature was having just as much difficulty as his master. He sat with his legs crossed and his head rested in both palms. As Radarr thought, his tail twitched slightly with irritation.

Near the table, Pipe leaned against the wall. Her spiky hair was flattened as she looked up at the ceiling, hoping something would spark her mind. But no matter how far her imagination took her, the girl's logic would bring her down again. There was simply, in Piper's opinion, no reasonable explanation for the behavior of the Talons. And yet, something told her to keep searching, to keep reaching for the impossible.

Like her, Finn was coming with random ideas. He sat in one of the few chairs and kept popping ridiculous ideas into his head. Most of them became small daydreams as the he waited for one of the others to come up with something. Sitting right next to the blond, Junko gently tapped his foot. He had run out of ideas a while ago and was simply, doing as Finn, and waiting for one of the others to pop out an idea.

At the controls, Stork stood silent, keeping the Condor heading for Atmosia. He was determined to arrive there in the next hour or so and would not let a small thing as the false Talon attack to stop him. However, the merb had slowed the Condor down considerably, allowing the roaring of the engines to be at a minimal. Thus keeping it quiet enough for everyone to really think. Like his fellow Storm Hawks, the pilot had his own theory on what had happened. Yet he feared falling away from his friends more than he already had. So Stork kept his accusing thoughts to himself.

Draven stood by one of the windows, he wanted a view of everyone on the bridge. He watched like a waiting predator, anticipating his prey's next move. His eyes were filled with deception and a sense of accomplishment was around him. However, seeing as everyone else was thinking of something else, no one seemed to notice. Draven couldn't help but allow a very small smile to cross his lips. He had completed half his mission already, the final steps would be taken in the next forty-eight hours.

For no reason, the older teen glanced towards his adoptive brother just in time to see the merb turn towards him. Draven hid his pleasure and stared into Stork's searching yellow eyes. Putting on a face of innocent questioning, Draven stared back at his brother. When the merb could not find what he wanted, and turned away, Draven gave a small smirk, but kept his face innocent.

-(SH)-

When no one was able to come up with a sensible explanation for the Talon retreat, everyone finally agreed that their attack had been a mistake. After that, none of the Storm Hawks mentioned the incident and simply carried on with normal activities. However, things seemed uncomfortable whenever someone was in the bridge. They all knew that Stork would most likely still be upset about Draven's entrance into the Storm Hawks. They all tried to avoid the bridge as much as possible (Draven kept clear all together), and when they did go in, they skirted around the pilot and finished their business quickly.

It was not hard for Stork to figure out what his teammates were doing. At first he was irritated with them. The merb felt his anger grow every time one of them moved in and out. They refused to speak with him and treated him like some loaded weapon. But as they came in less and less, Stork realized why they were doing it and started to feel foolish and guilty. All this time, ever since Draven had arrived, he had acted venomously towards his friends, even though they had done nothing wrong. No wonder they had begun to treat him with caution.

Stork felt sorry for getting angry so many times and for the way he had been acting the past few days. His friends had accepted Draven for he had turned into and not who he had once been. Maybe it was time for Stork to do the same? Then again, things hadn't felt quite right since Draven's arrival. Stork allowed the Condor to slow as he began to think of how he had felt for the past few days. Realization was slowly coming to him and his face softened as his mind went over his actions.

Nearly stopping the Condor completely, Stork felt a knot that had been twisting in his stomach suddenly disperse. Taking in a shaky breath, the merb found it hard to deal with the sudden rush of guilt. However, his mind was soon taken off his own feelings as his ears twitched and caught the sound of someone walking into the bridge.

Turning around swiftly, Stork caught a startled Piper off guard. She held a rolled up map in her hands and looked as if she had tried to snatch it off the table as quickly as possible. Trying not to make eye contact with the carrier pilot, Piper tried to rush things along. "Um… we've taken a new mission. A distress call just came in and we'll be heading off course. We won't be able to get to Atmosia until this one is completed…" Piper looked away from Stork and down at her feet. Things had been rather shaky between the two friends for a while now.

Nodding slightly, the merb turned back towards the sky before him. Slowing the Condor to a simply hover, Stork asked, "What's our new destination?" Piper looked a bit startled, but then opened up her map. Moving towards the controls, the girl held the map unraveled in her hands and stood beside her friend. "A small terra just an hour an a half from here," Piper said, pointing to a small terra on the map. The small hunk of land was basically in the middle of a sea of clouds.

Silently nodding again, Stork gripped the controls more tightly and slowly turned the Condor around. Then he pulled a small lever down and flipped a switch to allow the cool air into the engines. Gently pressing buttons on either handle, Stork allowed the large carrier ship to gain speed.

Piper stood with the map for only a few seconds more, quickly checking their coarse with the tools on the table, then folded up the map and headed for the doorway. However, Stork turned just enough to see Piper and almost whispered, "I'm sorry." Piper stopped in her tracks and waited for more. "I'm sorry for everything. I should've listened to you and just forgiven Draven. But… but I allowed the past to rule my present. I'm sorry Piper. I think I now realize I was wrong about my brother, People can change."

The teenage girl was silent for a few moments. She wasn't sure how to reply at the unexpected apology. Finally, she uttered, "Maybe you should tell Draven this. He's the one you should apologize to, not me." Regretting her words almost as soon as they had come out, Piper opened her mouth to rephrase her thoughts, but was cut off by Stork's saddened voice. "You're right…"

Turning to finally face Stork, Piper only found his back. Not finding the right words to say, and not wanting to hurt her friend anymore, the girl reluctantly turned back towards the corridors and moved on. Her conscience, however, did not lift as a knot began to form in her stomach.

-(SH)-

The trip seemed to be longer than an hour and a half. To Stork, it was more like days. The silence in the bridge allowed the merb to think, but it also kept his imagination vivid. He recalled how small the terra was and how it was placed in a very empty place. There wasn't anything but clouds surrounding the small platform of rock and Stork couldn't think of any reason to really be out where the terra was. Only large barges really flew over that route.

Stork watched as terra after terra passed them and grew smaller in size until they completely disappeared. It took only a couple of minutes before every terra was replaced with a sea of clouds. Squinting as the Condor drew near to its destination, the merb pilot was expecting a crashed barge or carrier ship. Unfortunately, his searching was brought to a most confusing end as he spotted the tiny terra.

The terra wasn't much bigger than the Condor itself and was actually barely a terra. It was flat and there was no grass or anything on it. But one could easily make out the crashed skimmer and a distressed person waving enthusiastically as the Condor came into view.

Allowing the Condor to slowly hover towards the small terra, Stork walked over to where he had hooked up an intercom system. Holding down a button and speaking into the speaker, Stork's dreary voice suffused the Condor. "We've reached the crash site. It's only a single skimmer…" Stork let go of the button and returned to the controls of the Condor. As he did so, Piper, Junko and Finn walked into the bridge. All of them stood behind Stork and watched as Aerrow and Draven flew from the Condor towards the distressed pilot.

However, as the two Storm Hawks approached the waving man, the pilot suddenly turned and ran towards his skimmer. Aerrow and Draven stopped in mid air and could only watch in surprise as the pilot ran with his skimmer and fell off the terra. "Quickly, we can still catch him!" Aerrow called over to Draven and the two teens flew towards the piece of land before them.

No sooner had the two reached the terra, when a loud roaring came over the Storm Hawks. Aerrow skidded to a stop on the surface of the terra as Draven came to a stop just a few yards behind him. There was the sudden roar of engines and then a horrible sound that pierced the mass of skimmers: a violin.

As if called upon, Ravess and about twenty other Talons soared up towards the sky. Aerrow could only watch in shock as they seemed to rise from the wastelands. Gripping the handles on his skimmer, Aerrow dug one foot into the ground and quickly turned his skimmer around. Revving up the machine, the red head hit the gas and along with Radarr, drove towards the edge of the terra. Radarr immediately opened up the wings, allowing the pair to take to the skies.

Draven did as Aerrow did and turned his bike around as quickly as possible. With a sudden rev of the engine, Draven shot off the edge of the terra and pulled his four wings open. The sun easily reflected off the silver streaks of his black skimmer and the glass shield of his helmet. Taking to the air, Draven fell beside Aerrow and the two Storm Hawks headed for the Condor. However, Ravess had predicted this move and sent about seven Talons to cut the two off.

In the bridge of the Condor, Stork stood alone (Finn, Junko, and Piper had left for the hanger as soon as Ravess had showed herself), readying the cannons to fire. A small green light flashed on the edge of the controls, indicating that the cannons were fully charged. And yet, despite the number of Talons swarming the skies, Stork hesitated. Something didn't feel right. Where were the carriers? Surely Ravess and her Talons didn't set a trap and hover at the base of the terra all day.

Shaking his head clear, Stork deemed it unimportant at the moment and aimed the first cannon blast towards a cluster of Talons. However, before he could blast the Cyclonian warriors from the sky, Finn streaked across his crosshairs, breaking apart the Talons. The blond was quickly pursued by five laughing Talons. Piper was squaring off with another six, Junko was chasing Finn's Talons, Aerrow seemed to be handling the last nine… Where was Draven?

Stork searched the skies frantically. Sure he wasn't Draven's biggest fan, but Draven was still his "brother" after all. The merb's yellow eyes stopped searching as they found a distraught Ravess firing arrow after arrow at the black rider. Draven easily pulled his skimmer out of the path of each crystallized arrow. Ravess grew frustrated and stopped for only a short moment to take in her prey. Draven saw an opening and raced towards the Cyclonian leader-

Unfortunately, the teenage merb did not get to see what happened when Draven and Ravess met. A loud alarm suddenly blared in Stork's sensitive ears. Giving a small cry of pain, the merb placed both hands over his unsuspecting ears and looked down at the controls to see what had happened. To the merb's horror, the left engine had suddenly failed. "It overheated," Stork whispered to himself as he allowed his hands to fall and looked down at the color of the flashing light.

The effects of the lost engine weren't felt immediately, but only a few seconds after the alarm had blared, the Condor began to slowly tip to one side. Stork pulled on the handles and put all the weight on the right engine, which would be enough to keep him airborne. For how long, the merb wasn't sure.

As the large carrier ship leveled out, it seemed to start to ignore Stork's urges and began to fall back to the left. "No, no, no!" Stork shouted to himself as he pulled harder on the controls. A sudden jolt of electricity raced from the controls and through the pilot. Stork gave out a surprised yelp and let go of the controls completely. He could see the electricity racing through the steering and short circuiting the entire unit.

The control box gave one last spark of life and then failed completely. As the spark came, the lights on the Condor flickered and went out just as the carrier ship gave a large moan and hung on the last engine. Realizing that the ship was tipping faster than it should, Stork raced to the controls and pried off the cover. He then looked down into the tangle of wires and held the lid high above his head in surprise.

A deep, blue beetle was tearing up the wires. Realizing it was no longer as dark as it should be, the crystal like beetle looked up and seemed startled as seeing the green being before him. Clattering its pincers, the beetle turned to face Stork and suddenly seemed angry. The blue creature leapt from the ruined control box. Stork reacted just in time and brought the lid down in a swinging motion. The beetle was successfully tossed across the room and it shattered into shards against the wall of the bridge.

For a moment, Stork simply stared at the shattered remains of the beetle. Then his memory sparked and all of it came clear. It hadn't been a real beetle but instead a crystal… the crystal Draven had stolen from the Cyclonians! Stork didn't have much more time to think, he now understood why Draven was there, he understood why Draven had acted so kind to his friends.

Pulling out a pair of pliers, Stork hastily began work on the control box as everything came into mind. Realization after realization popped into his mind and a great worry came over the merb. His friends were in great trouble and only he knew why. Pausing only for a moment, Stork's face was frozen in fear as yet another idea came into his mind. However, this idea was proven correct much too quickly for the merb's liking as there was the sudden sound of breaking metal and the Condor lurched forward.

-(SH)-

Aerrow pulled his skimmer down just as a blast of energy soared over his head. Pulling his skimmer back up, the red head released one of his energy swords and raced towards the Talon that had fired at him. However, the teen was cut off as another Talon cut across him and fired off a shot. This one was not so easily dodged and the shot grazed the side of Aerrow's skimmer, nearly taking out Radarr in his sidecar.

Pulling hard, Aerrow turned his skimmer to the right and dove under Finn and Junko's battle with a group of Talons. Those that were battling the red head followed in pursuit and soon found themselves heading towards the carrier ship. Aerrow looked behind him for a moment and saw the Talons willingly following, a smile spread across the teen's face. But his smile was soon wiped away when he looked towards the Condor.

Nearly stopping in mid flight, Aerrow could just hovered there, looking on in horror. The battle seemed to quiet around him as his friends most likely caught site of the lopsided Condor as well.

The clouds behind the Condor suddenly grew darker and darker. They twisted and turned like a raging storm, but no rain fell from them. Slowly, two dark maroon hulls rose from depths of the wastelands. The clouds grew light again as the massive battle ships broke the surface and came to hover behind the Condor. Their engines roared like thunder and with the sound of concentrating energy, all four cannons on both ships fired one, by one, a stream of blue plasma at the Condor.

"No!" Piper sped past Aerrow and headed for the Condor just as the first wave of cannon fire hit the carrier ship. Small explosions erupted from the back of the Condor as blast after blast crashed into the ship. Aerrow could only watch as a frantic Piper raced for the ship, but slowed as she realized she wouldn't make it in time. The Cyclonian battle ships were too much for the carrier ship, and in a matter of seconds, they had torn through the hull of the Condor, literally ripping her in half.

The Storm Hawks were silent as their hearts seemed to stop beating. The world became suddenly cold and a great hand seemed to seize their souls. Aerrow's breathing became slow and he felt the Talons take hold of his body and keep him from moving. But Aerrow didn't care, for the world seemed to fade as he watched the Condor sick to the wastelands, smoke billowing from it.

-(SH)-


	12. Something Better

(over 7k words!!!)

**A/N: **Thanks for all your wonderful reviews! 8 people reviewed the last chapter, thank-you guys so much! I've decided, this will be the last chapter. All the plans I have for this story have been fulfilled and I can't think of more to do with the plot without it getting out of hand and stupid. Anyway, hope you like this one. Thanks again for those who stuck with it all the way! (I'll answer any questions you have)

-(SH)-

Chapter dedication: _Nakedmolerat05_

Story dedication: _My mom, she likes Storm Hawks and loves Stork_

**Chapter 12: Something Better**

Pain ripped through Stork's body as he slammed up against the bridge window. He could feel the Condor falling, and he could only imagine the destruction that would come if the carrier ship hit the wastelands. Straining to stand up, the merb teen took only a moment to look out the window beneath him. The clouds suddenly parted and Stork was faced with the lava crusted earth of the wastelands. If the Condor survived the crash, she would easily be torn apart by the creatures that dwelled below.

As the ship drew nearer to the tainted land below him, Stork began to feel the heat. Taking one of his hands, the merb wiped sweat from his brow and stood precariously on the glass. Reaching up, Stork managed to get a solid grip on the support of the controls. With all his strength, the scrawny merb pulled himself up enough to wrap his arms firmly around the support. With the skinny pole under his arms, Stork reached up for the handles and then remembered that the sabotage crystal had destroyed them.

Frantically, Stork looked around the bridge, trying to think of someway he could get further back into the ship. However, his thinking was cut short as the Condor closed the distance between her and the ground.

There was a disturbing crushing sound at the engines took most the impact. Before the deck was sacrificed with the engines, however, the belly of the ship hit, and hit hard, sending the Condor skidding across the wastelands. Sparks and dirt flew everywhere as the large carrier ship tore up the earth before her. Stork held onto the support pole as best as he could, but knew that the crash was hardly over.

Even though the left engine was completely useless, the right engine was still being fed fuel. It only burned slightly, but the heat was enough to spark the fuel. Immediately, the fuel turned into a fiery fuse and raced towards the fuel tanks. When the flames hit, the tanks exploded, sending the Condor flipping head first across the land. Tossed like a ball, the large carrier ship was smashed and nearly destroyed in its tumble across the wastelands.

Finally, a large pillar of rock was the only thing that stopped the flipping Condor. With one last burst from the right engine, the Condor grew still, her hull torn and battered.

-(SH)-

Everything was silent as the Condor fell below the clouds. Every Storm Hawk was silent with shock. They didn't know what to do or how to feel. Stork had saved the Condor from crashing on several occasions, each one impossible for any other pilot to come through successfully. However, this was different. Aerrow could tell by the way Stork hadn't reacted immediately to the Cyclonian battle ships that something had gone wrong on the Condor.

The red head simply sat there on his skimmer, his mind was blank. Several Talons had grabbed Aerrow and were proceeding to bind his hands. They tried to bind Radarr as well, but the small creature still gave them a fight. Aerrow listened as the others were cuffed and tow lines attached to their vehicles.

Then a sudden rush of air blew past the red head as a black skimmer spiraled through the clouds. Momentarily stunned, Aerrow soon realized who had gone past and hollered to the disappearing rider, "Save him Draven! Bring him back!" Then there was pain as a Talon hit him in the gut with his elbow. But Aerrow didn't care, there was still a chance for Stork's survival.

-(SH)-

It was dark and an intense heat was all around him. He couldn't breathe, he couldn't move, he couldn't think. All he could do was feel: feel the pain rip through his body, feel the heaviness on his chest, and feel the sorrow that suffused his entire being. He felt a terrible a sense of dread, as if it was truly the end. They had lost… no. He had just lost, there was still a chance for his friends. They needed him… he needed them.

Taking a shaky breath, Stork awoke from his unconscious state. Trying to breath properly, Stork's breath rattled and his body shook with the strain. The floor of the Condor was hot compared to the air around him, which was hazy and filled with smoke and steam. Pushing with his arms, Stork tried desperately to stand up, or at least sit up. But it was a futile attempt. Collapsing back to the floor, the merb pilot turned his stiff neck as best as he could to see what was pressing against his body.

The glass of the bridge window was shattered and shards were scattered everywhere. Several smaller shards stuck into the floor of the Condor, and others simply lay there. Some of the glass managed to cut Stork's legs, leaving small spots of blood. It was obvious that Stork had been cut while the Condor had been rolling, for there were splatters of blood on the wall before the fallen pilot.

Looking higher up with his yellow eyes, Stork's face turned to trepidation. Lying across his back, and piercing the floor, was a large piece of metal that undoubtedly came from overhead. Out of curiosity and concern for his ship, Stork glanced up and happened to find a large hole torn from the ceiling above him. Letting out a sigh of despair, Stork turned his head back to face the doorways and allowed it to fall back onto the heated floor. There was no way the scrawny pilot would be able to lift the crushing metal. "If only Junko was here…"

Stork's head shot up as his ears twitched and focused towards the demolished corridors. There had been a shuffle of debris, the merb was sure of it. Propping his body up on his elbows, Stork strained his eyes to see into the smoky halls. "It couldn't be," Stork whispered to himself, wondering if his wish had come true. Then, he could see a shadowy figure pushing away a large piece of debris and stepping over some more. Becoming exciting, Stork allowed a small smile of hope to come to his face.

But the smile soon fell as the person who had treaded through the debris of the failing Condor came into view. A smiling face with charcoal eyes and dark hair stepped from the flame smoke of the corridor. Draven stood there in the entrance to the bridge, his leather outfit reflecting the small flames that had broken out in small places. His face was contorted with a victorious smile and in his hands Draven held two lumpy sacks.

Dropping the sacks to the floor, allowing one of Piper's unrefined crystals to role out, Draven folded his arms and exclaimed, "Well, well, well, what do we have here?" Letting out a sinister laugh, the older teen stepped forward, his riding boots sending small vibrations through the floor. "You didn't do a very good job at landing the ship, Stork." Lowering himself to one knee, Draven's cold eyes stared into the hate filled eyes of the merb pilot.

With his ears bent back and his face showing obvious hatred, Stork said with a cold tone to his voice, "Yeah, no thanks to you. If you've come for your sabotage crystal, I'm afraid you'll have to search for the pieces amongst the rubble." Draven's face momentarily turned to anger, but this look was quickly erased as he stood to his feet and turned away from Stork. He stood there, his leather covered back turned to his "brother". Draven placed on hand upon his chin and acted as if he was surveying the damage of the crash.

For a few moments, that's how the two brothers stayed. One casually ignoring the pinned merb, the other seething at the one who had ruined his life. Finally, Stork broke the silence, his voice colder and more impatient than before. "Where are my friends?" Acting as if he had forgotten Stork was there, Draven looked over his shoulder curiously. "My friends, Draven, what's happened to them."

Letting out a sigh, Draven nonchalantly spun on his heel and looked down at Stork. With his hands behind his back, Draven put on his most triumphant smile and asked, "Aren't you at all curious about how I succeeded? Or how about how I've been working for Master Cyclonis all along? Hmm? How about I tell you?" The cool, steely nature of Draven's voice angered Stork even further. How could he act so calm when so much was going on or already happened.

When Stork said nothing, Draven pulled back and stared at him. "Apparently, they care for you greatly. Once they saw the Condor going down, they hardly able to do anything else but watch. That was enough for the Talons to grab them and for me to still appear a part of them and race after you. However, my part in this entire thing will be revealed once they see I have returned without you," giving a small chuckle, Draven shook his head slightly, "Amazing how things work out."

Stork looked away from Draven, his face falling to the floor so close to him. His friend had indeed been defeated. Closing his eyes as a new wave of pain came to him, Stork took in another deep, shaky breath and tried to fathom what had happened. Cyclonis had basically won, seeing as Aerrow and the others were the only ones able to thwart her plans each time a new one arose.

The merb kept his eyes closed, even as he heard Draven's boots walk back towards the hallways. However, he opened them slightly when he though he heard a large thud and the pressing of buttons. Looking up as much as he could, Stork found Draven rising from another kneel. Wiping his hands, Draven stepped away from whatever he had placed down and grabbed both bags of crystals. "I wish I was sorry Stork, but the truth is, you deserve this… goodbye."

As Draven walked away from the bridge, Stork's eyes darted back to the dark object that he had placed by the wall. It was a dark box, only a few inches tall and as wide as Stork's hand was long. A panel was at the top of the dark box, green numbers slowly counting down: 57, 56, 55.

With horrible realization, Stork found himself looking at a bomb. Bending his free toes, the merb dug into the floor and tried to push himself from underneath the fallen metal. 42, 41, 40. Finding that useless, he tried pushing back, behind the metal with his sore arms. This was too painful to continue however. 35, 34, 33. Finding himself unable to come free of the debris, Stork stretched his arm for one of the fallen panels, 20, 19, 18. His fingers were mere centimeters from the panel. 3, 2, 1.

Draven's black hair rustled slightly as the blast from the Condor's bridge sent a wave of heat after his dark skimmer. For a moment, the silver streaks glowed orange, then faded back to silver as the skimmer rose higher above the wastelands. Draven's face was set and emotionless, the bag of crystals clunked underneath the back seat. The young man did not look back as his skimmer broke the white clouds above.

-(SH)-

Piper nearly tripped on her feet as the Talon shoved her into the dark cell. The slim girl caught herself just in time to turn on the Talon. However, the Talon slammed door shut, leaving Piper to slam against it and pound her fist in frustration. "No!" she called as she heard the door lock and she was left in the darkness. Turning around, Piper leaned against the cold door and slid down to sit on the even colder ship. There was silence, except for the quiet breathing of her friends and the humming of the battle ship's engines.

"Piper, are you okay?" It was Aerrow's voice that reached out to the girl through the darkness. She could barely see anything, but she caught a glimpse of Aerrow's green eyes moving towards her. "Piper," the girl folded her knees to her chest as soon as the boy's hand fell to her shoulder, Piper fell into despair. Folding her arms on her knees, Piper hid her face and broke into an uncontrollable sob.

Aerrow felt his heart tear as he moved his hand across Piper's back and pulled her into a comforting hug. However, Piper pushed Aerrow away and fell back to her tears. "Why?" Aerrow barely heard the word through the cries of sorrow and guilt. The others must have heard it too, for they all shifted a little closer to the two teens, Radarr climbing up on Aerrow's shoulder. "Why him? Why not me?" Then it became clear why Piper was crying, and no one really knew how to answer.

"Hey now, it wasn't your fault Piper-" Junko tried to keep the girl from blaming herself, but he drew back from Piper as she thrust her head up. "Yes it is! You know it is! It's all our faults! We refused to listen… simply because Draven impressed me." Piper fell back against the door again, her arms lay limply at her sides.

Aerrow put his hand back on Piper's shoulder, causing her to look at him. "You're right, we should have listened to Stork. After all, we've knew him a lot longer than we knew Draven. But what's done is done." Aerrow sensed Piper was going to protest, but he squeezed her shoulder to let her know he wasn't done himself. "I'm not saying we should simply forget about this and move on… we will move on one day. What we need to do though is find a way out of here. Don't you think Stork would want us to keep on fighting? Don't you think he would want us to take down Draven?"

Finn, who hadn't said much since they had been brought upon the battle ship a few minutes ago, scooted closer to Piper and Aerrow. "Yeah Piper. I mean, I miss Stork too… it's kind of weird thinking we'll never hear his voice again."

"Or see him smile," Junko whispered through the near darkness of the brig. "Or feel his presence," Piper joined in. "But we can still keep him alive in our memories. I mean… he's not really gone as long as we still care for him, right?" Aerrow put on a soft smile, although he knew it was just about impossible for Piper to see, and squeezed her shoulder even more. "That's right…" He whispered. Piper smiled back, mostly for herself then for the others.

"Right! Then we should try and find a way out of here!" Junko exclaimed, his voice not yet lifted from grief, but definitely sounding better. Aerrow pinpointed the wallop in the darkness and spoke towards him. "Since they took our weapons and searched us for crystals, it doesn't look like we'll be getting out easily. We'll have to find some flaw in the design of this brig. Junko, do you think your knuckles can take finding a weak spot in the walls?" "I'll try!" the wallop replied, standing from his spot. The next indication of his location was a loud thud against the metal.

Nodding, the red head then turned to wear Finn was wiping away his own tears in the darkness. "Finn, I'm going to need you to keep lookout with Radarr. Stay by the door and listen as best as you could. Piper, stay with them and look for cracks or weaknesses in the door. I'll be searching for something we might be able to use. It's a new ship, there has to be a loose piece of metal somewhere."

"Right," Finn and Piper said at the same time, while Radarr gave an excited cry. Aerrow leapt to his feet and found the wall behind Piper. He then began to work his way around the room, feeling for a prick or bump to indicate loose metal or some anomaly. Then he stopped, his mind had just thought of something, and as the room filled with thuds and scuffles, Aerrow voiced his thought. "I wonder where they took Draven?"

The others stopped in their attempt to escape. They too had been wondering the same thing, but none of them had really thought of it. Once they Draven return from the Condor with nothing but crystals, they had been furious with him, only to have the young man laugh in their face. The whole thing had been explained while Draven handed the crystals off to Ravess (just as Draven had predicted).

"Dude, as long as I get to kick his butt before this thing is over, I don't really care," Finn spoke. His statement was followed by agreements from the other four Storm Hawks. Aerrow smiled, "I thought so," and went back to work. Time passed slowly, and the Storm Hawks had been working on their escape for at least four hours. Finn was beginning to doze off, Piper kept banging her fist in frustration, Radarr's ears were beginning to droop and Junko's punches had become considerably softer and less frequent.

Collapsing to the floor of the cell, Finn found himself in the far corner and tired from being on his feet for the past few hours. "Man, I wouldn't have thought listening took so much out of yah." Junko settled down next to his friends, his knuckles aching, but not yet bloody or broken. "I guess its working in the dark. Takes more effort to see and stuff," there was an agreeable chatter as Radarr collapsed next to the two other boys.

Aerrow leaned against the wall and slowly sat on the cold, metal floor. His feet were aching and his hands felt stiff from having them spread out against the wall. "Well, it could be worse…" Aerrow trailed off, thinking of how they could be dead. However, his mind did not stay on this thought too long as Piper sat beside him. "At least we're together, they didn't split us up!" Piper said, putting a hand on Aerrow's shoulder, then removing it and finding a comfortable positioning against the wall.

Silently agreeing, Aerrow closed his eyes as the others trailed off into sleep. Yet the Storm Hawks were unable to get much further then the gates of dreamland as a stream of light suddenly parted the darkness. Aerrow opened his eyes and saw an awoken Finn, Junko, and Radarr in the direct beam of light. The light grew brighter and brighter until the door to the cell was completely open. Piper and Aerrow took this chance at freedom and jumped at the dark figure whom had opened the door.

-(SH)-

Draven walked down the empty corridor of the Cyclonian battle ship. Two Talons walked on either side of him, each looking at him in awe. To them, he was a hero, a hero they had long sought. He was the one to defeat their greatest enemy: the Storm Hawks. There was no doubt in their minds, nor Draven's, that this hero would be greatly rewarded. Looking to either side of him with his dark, charcoal eyes, Draven smiled and allowed his pride to suffuse over his entire being. He had come out triumphant over the one person he hated the most in the world, and now he was being praised for it.

The two Talons suddenly stopped as the three of them approached a large door with the Cyclonian symbol engraved on it. The two Talons turned to face the middle of the hall and take guard of the door as Draven moved forward and pushed the black doors open, entering the room beyond.

The room Draven had stepped into was considerably larger than any of the other rooms on the ship. It's high ceiling was decorated with maroonish, glowing crystals. Most of the room, however, was empty space and a large throne like seat was found on top of a dais . In the chair, at the moment was a refined, clear crystal. Standing in front of the throne, Ravess seemed to be waiting for the crystal to do something. The woman glanced only for a second at Draven as he stepped beside her.

"What's going on?" Draven asked, staring at the crystal as Ravess did. "We're about to give our report. I suggest you don't screw this up. You maybe in Master Cyclonis' favor, but it's only for the moment…" Ravess' voice was cool and washed over Draven like a chilling breeze. However, the young man knew better than to show any sign of weakness to the fierce Cyclonian warrior.

As Draven and Ravess stood there, the crystal started to become milky and it's contents swirled in a counter clockwise motion. Then, faintly, a dark figure began to form on the floor before the throne. Slowly, the form gained in darkness and the dark eyes of Master Cyclonis were visible in a matter of seconds. Both Draven and Ravess bowed their heads as the young leader before them looked on with skepticism. She obviously was not convinced of the report sent to her via radio.

"Master Cyclonis, I have some good news. The Storm Hawks have been defeated and one of them is permanently out of our way," Ravess looked upon the projected face of her leader and allowed some triumphant to show on her sharp features. However, Master Cyclonis did not seem pleased, but instead turned her attention to Draven.

When the girl's voice finally came, it sounded broken and doubled. This was a simply complication with the crystal, sounds were slightly distorted. "Tell me, my hired mercenary, the status of the Storm Hawks. _All _the Storm Hawks." Despite the distortion, Master Cyclonis' voice was still filled with great evil and intimidated the once beaming Draven.

Looking straight at Master Cyclonis, Draven dryly reported, "Navigator, engineer, sharpshooter, mission specialist, and Sky Knight are all currently detained in the brig. Pilot - dead." Draven said the last one with a smile. He couldn't help it, it just felt so real now that he was actually officially reporting it to Master Cyclonis. And yet, when Draven looked at Master Cyclonis, he did not see her enjoying his enthusiasm over the situation. Instead, she looked angry and ready to kill Draven just by staring at him.

"How many Storm Hawks is that accounted for?" Master Cyclonis went on, not taking her narrow eyes off Draven. "Six," Draven said, now confused why she was asking such a question. Master Cyclonis did not explain herself, but instead nodded in confirmation, then her face softened and she seemed to be thinking hard. "Funny, because you see I received a report from Ravess' men just a moment ago. According to them, and her, that number was a little lower." Master Cyclonis' face turned hard and angry again.

Draven stepped back with surprise, his eyes darting from Cyclonis to Ravess. One held an utterly infuriated look, while the other was smug and confident. "You see, it only takes one Storm Hawk to ruin everything," just as her form was about disappear, Master Cyclonis' distorted voice said one last chilling thing before disappearing, "Take care of him for me Ravess." And then, she was gone.

Draven stepped back from the throne, his face contorted in confusion and anger. As he backed away, Ravess turned menacingly and pulled out what seemed to be a crystal baton. However, when the woman pressed in a button, the staff extended and the maroon crystal glowed to make its master look even more sinister. "Didn't I warn you Draven."

-(SH)-

Aerrow dropped to the ground, kicking the legs out from beneath the person in the doorway. There was a small thud and soft "umph" from the person as they fell into the hallways. Piper leapt over Aerrow and pinned the person to the ground, putting her hand onto the being's neck. "C'mon, we gotta go!" Piper yelled over her shoulder as Aerrow stood and motioned for the others to move. Piper suddenly recognized something odd about the neck she was grasping: it was soft and covered in fur.

Sharply turning her head towards the person beneath her, Piper felt her heart skip a beat as she looked down into the pained, yellow eyes of a shocked merb teen. "Stork!" Piper exclaimed with joy. Immediately, the others rushed to the door as the girl pulled the merb up and into a strong hug. "I thought we'd lost you!" Piper held Stork close and allowed the tears to run down her cheeks as she felt the merb's arm come slowly up her back in a hug as well.

Before the merb could say something back, both the teens were suddenly lifted out of the hallway and into a crushing hug by Junko, who now was crying with joy as Aerrow, Finn, and Radarr looked at their friends in awe. "I'm so glad you're okay! I missed you!" Junko worked out between the tears. And as Piper laughed from the overwhelming joy, Stork winced and tried to break free from the hug, gasping, "Yeah, I missed you too Junko. But if you don't mind, I've faced doom at least twice today…"

"Oh!" Junko let go of his two friends, dropping Stork to the floor. Not expecting to be dropped so suddenly, Stork lost his balance and his already weak legs just gave out from underneath him. He sat there on the ground for a moment as the others beamed down upon him. For a moment, Stork just took in all their faces. He was overjoyed to see all of them unharmed and okay. He had feared the worse after Draven left, wondering if they would be sent to Cyclonis right away or not.

Finally, Aerrow held out his hand, "Glad to have you back." Stork nodded and took the red head's hand, allowing the Sky Knight to pull him to his feet. Aerrow patted Stork on the shoulder, just to make sure he was really there, then stared into the tired eyes of the merb. Aerrow smiled softly at his friend, but before he could ask the question on his mind, Finn popped in front of Stork and asked, "Dude, you looked like a goner, how'd you get outta that?"

For a moment, Stork stared blankly at the blond, then he quickly explained what had happened from the time the Condor was hit by the battle ships, to when Draven set the bomb. "A bomb! Where did he…" Piper said, the girl had been listening intently the entire time. Stork shrugged, "I don't know. But I was lucky enough to grab a panel of metal to block most of the blast-" "What do you mean most of?" Aerrow asked, now realizing how bedraggled the merb looked. Most of his fur was ruffled and his hair was a mess. Sweat greased his features and there were cuts and scraps all over his body. Even his uniform, which was torn in several places, looked better than himself.

Stork leaned his head down then pointed to his ears. The fur had been taken off of nearly all of the ears and on the one with the earrings, the skin was badly burnt. "Fortunately, my ears are as bad as it gets. Although my arms are sore from dragging that old skimmer from the hanger," at the quizzical look his friends gave him, Stork explained the rest of his escape from certain doom. "I remember seeing the battle ships before the Condor crashed. I figured they would take you there and head for Cyclonia. I had an old skimmer in the hanger that wasn't too badly damaged in the crash. A few quick repairs and I soon caught up to the battle ships. Although it was tough getting in the ships, I lost the skimmer in the process, I still made it undetected."

"Well, I'm glad you're okay, under the circumstances. Can you walk okay?" Aerrow asked, as the others seemed unable to speak at the moment. Stork nodded, "Yeah, I've been crawling through the ship. I've got her rigged to blow and if we don't get going, we might get stuck behind!" Stork had almost forgotten his activities of the last few hours, but his sudden remembrance was backed up when a few yards down the hall, a large explosion blew away the ceiling. "Now would be a good time to go."

Aerrow nodded and then he looked left, then right. The red head was completely unsure where to go. He had only seen the corridors for a few seconds. "This way!" Piper called as she began running to the left. Aerrow readily followed, Stork running just in front of him. Finn, Junko, and Radarr were close behind. Piper ran through the halls as if she had lived on the ship her whole life. She seemed to take all the right turns and lead the others in the right direction, which was considerably hard with the explosions from the broken battle ship all around.

Suddenly Piper stopped before a fork in the halls. "I don't know where the hanger is from here!" she shouted in frustration. Luckily, Stork had just come from the hanger and he grabbed Piper's arm and dragged her down the right corridor without stopping. The others followed and as soon as the girl could get her footing, Stork let go of Piper's hand.

As they approached the hanger, Talons could be seen running all over the place in confusion and panic. Ignoring the many Cyclonians, the Storm Hawks charged through the crowd. Or at least, they ignored them until Piper tripped over something and fell to the floor. Aerrow stopped just in time, causing Junko to skid to a stop and Finn to crash into the wallop. "Piper, are you okay?" At hearing the others, Stork had turned around in time to see Aerrow helping the girl up.

"Yeah, I'm fine, but I don't think the same goes for the person I tripped over," Piper looked down at the person who had caused her fall and her face twisted in disgust. "On second thought, I don't really care for him!" Aerrow pulled Piper back, just in time to keep her from kicking a fallen Draven in the stomach. The others looked around Aerrow and glared at the young man, who was now stripped of his leather outfit in simple jeans and a T-shirt. "C'mon, the hanger's just down this way." Stork said, urging the others on.

Aerrow held onto Piper as he stepped over Draven, keeping the girl from doing the man any more harm. Junko was also careful not to step on the fallen traitor, but Finn was not so kind and purposely stepped on the man's wrist, causing him to recoil in pain. As Finn walked past him, Stork simply stared at his adoptive brother, lying there in pain. His clothes were a mess and face was bruised and batter. A deep cut ran along his cheek, marring his handsome face. Was he feeling sorry for this traitor?

No. Stork shook his head and turned to catch up with his friends. But before he jogged over to them, his hurting ears managed to catch one thing. "Help me," Stork's face suddenly softened and became somber as he rounded a corner and caught up with the other Storm Hawks. Surely Draven could handle himself. But how many would survive the crash of the large battle ship? Well, no one would be on the ship, all the Talons had skimmers. But Draven didn't seem as if he could walk by himself…

"Go on without me! I'll meet you in the hanger. You have about three minutes left until she's set to blow. If I'm not there in time you leave without me!" Stork shouted as he turned around and headed down the corridor as fast as he could. Piper turned, with Aerrow restraining her, "Stork! Wait, where are you going?!"

"Just go!" Stork shouted as he disappeared around the corner. Aerrow felt a sting his chest and he realized what Stork was doing. Taking in a deep breath, Aerrow spoke to the other Storm Hawks, who seemed confused on what to do. "We carry on. C'mon, we have to move!" Reluctantly, the others followed the now running Aerrow. Piper took one last look at the corner that Stork had disappeared behind before turning and following her teammates.

-(SH)-

Stork couldn't believe what he was doing, but he knew why he was doing it. It wasn't because Draven was his brother, or that he felt sorry for Draven. He was returning because he was not Draven and he would never be Draven. Coming to a halt before the fallen rider, Stork bent down and slipped his arm around Draven's chest. With a heave, the merb managed somehow to get the young man to his feet. "C'mon, you have to walk!" Stork hissed, keeping Draven on his feet.

Draven pushed away from Stork, and supported himself against the wall. "What are you doing?!" he hissed in disgust and confusion. "Why aren't you running?" Draven asked, his voice heavy and wheezy. It was obvious some one had done a number on the older teen.

Ignoring Draven, Stork put a hand on the man's shoulder and looked into his dark eyes. "We have to get out of here. The ship isn't going to be in the sky much longer. Now I need your skimmer and you need my help to get to the hanger. Either we do it together, or I'll go on without you and get to my friends before they leave…" Draven looked into Stork's eyes. Then he broke out a smile and shook his head. "Alright, alright," he said, trying to stand on his own. Stork simply nodded and used one arm to support Draven. Draven placed his own arm around Stork's shoulders and leaned on the merb as little as he could.

With jerky, but quick, movements, the two "brothers" moved down the hall and were at the hanger door in no time. However, the other Storm Hawks had already escaped, leaving Stork to find Draven's skimmer. Placing the older teen down by the door, Stork ran through the hanger, searching the rows of skimmers. Apparently, the Talons each had a spare skimmer, but only one key. Stork needed Draven's skimmer.

Suddenly, a pain ripped through the merb's body, causing him to stop and bend over in agony. The cuts on his legs were stinging like hell and it was becoming increasingly hard to walk on his weary and now bleeding feet. Taking in a deep breath, Stork fought back the pain and continued on his way, despite the feeling that he was walking on broken glass.

Finally, the scrawny teen spotted it. It's deep black with silver streaks now clearly stood out amongst the maroon skimmers of the Cyclonians. Giving a wince of a smile, Stork ran forward and grasped the handlebars of the skimmer. Pulling it out into the aisle, Stork quickly moved the cycle along the other skimmers and towards where Draven was resting.

The older teen seemed to brighten considerably at the sight of his precious ride. Rising slowly to his feet, Draven took the skimmer from Stork as soon as the carrier pilot came in reach. Swinging his leg over the machine with a great wince, Draven pulled the helmet off the seat and put it on just as Stork clambered onto the back seat. "Hold on," came Draven's muffled voice. Wrapping his weak arms around Draven, Stork prepared himself for the worse.

Draven started up the engine, just as the merb's sensitive ears perked as much as they could without hurting. "Quickly, the engines are gonna-" before Stork could finish, the engines sent waves of fire all over the ship, destroying the glory of the Cyclonians. The flames ripped through the walls and soon exploded into the hanger. Just as the fire breached the hanger walls, Draven hit the gas of the skimmer and sent them racing through he spare skimmers, the flames hot on their tails and consuming the Cyclonian skimmers.

-(SH)-

Piper watched the first Cyclonian battle ship as part after part of it exploded. Pieces of the first ship crashed into the second, causing yet another evacuation. Maroon skimmers burst into the skies, completely ignoring the five Storm Hawks who had found refuge upon a nearby cliff. Junko, Finn, and Radarr all sat on their vehicles, waiting to go rescue Stork if need be. Piper stood on the edge of the cliff, watching anxiously for the black skimmer of Draven. Aerrow stood behind her, his own apprehension matching hers.

"I-I don't see him!" Piper said, turning back to Aerrow, who face had fallen to the ground. "He has to make it, I can't loose him again!" the girl cried, turning back to the burning battle ship. Aerrow stepped up to Piper and placed an understanding hand upon her shoulder. "Stork's already avoided death twice today. I don't think one more time is going to be any problem for him," as he said these words, Aerrow doubted them. No matter how many times you cheat death, it gets you in the end.

Then, the engines of the battle ship exploded, sending plumes of smoke into the air as it headed for the clouds below it. "No!" Piper shouted as Aerrow squeezed her shoulder and the other three raced to the edge of the cliff, but didn't take off. "Look!" Finn called, causing everyone to turn back to the horrific scene of the falling ship. From the smoke, there rose a dark figure: it was a skimmer. "They're alive!" Junko exclaimed as he caught Stork's green fur behind Draven's beaten body.

-(SH)-

A battered Condor hovered above the terra of Atmosia. It's hull once ripped, was crudely welded back together and the crushed engines had been hammered out enough that they worked enough to keep the carrier ship in the air. Below, in the city people gathered around as five of the Storm Hawks carried parts to the ship.

A tall, dark skinned girl held a metal panel above her head, blocking out the sun. As she approached the ship, she lowered the panel into a pile. Sighing, Piper swiped the sweat from her brow and looked up at the ship. She was glad it was okay, after all, it was her home. Smiling, the girl moved from the pile of panels to a nearby bench.

The shade felt like a reprieve from the heat. They had been working all morning and as the afternoon came into view, each of the Storm Hawks had taken a break. Finn had taken off towards the pool, Junko and Radarr close behind him. Meanwhile, Aerrow decided to stock up on supplies while Piper was still undecided about what to do.

Sighing, the girl looked towards the Atmosian tower. Somewhere beneath it was the sixth member of the Storm Hawks.

-(SH)-

Sitting down before the plastic window, Stork looked into the hardened face of his brother. Draven's face had become hollow looking and the cut on his cheek had formed a scar. His hair was untidy, but still held a cool effect. Draven held his usual cocky smile as his charcoal eyes met with those of the merb. "What are you doin' here?" Draven's once cool voice had changed over the past three weeks. It was no longer smooth and confident, but hoarse and defeated. "I came to visit you, like I plan on doing every month," Stork replied, leaning towards the small holes in the plastic.

Rolling his eyes, Draven leaned back in his chair, causing the front legs to go up. "Why the hell do you still want to visit me? After all I've done, I d' think you'd want nothing to do with me." Draven leaned forward, causing the chair to place all four legs back on the floor, and leaned forward so he stared Stork in the eyes as close as he could. "Unless you've come to gloat or try to save my soul or something, I can't see a reason for you being here."

"I'm here because mother saw this coming and before she died of her sickness, she told me something. Something meant for you!" Stork said, now catching Draven's attention. Although Draven had hated the way his mother babied Stork, he had still loved her. And if there was one thing he regretted most in his life, it was not returning to his sick mother after his fathers death. "Go on," Draven said.

Stork nodded and pulled away from the glass. "Before she died, mother took my hand and looked into my eyes. We were alone in the house, which was good because she intended her words to only be heard by her children," Draven's eyes held a soft look, that clearly showed his love for his lost mother. "Her voice was hoarse, but her heart was still pure. She spoke to me, and she said 'Watch your brother. Watch him grow and watch him do great and terrible things. I know Draven, my son, I know him better than he knows himself. When he gets lost on his path to great things, I want you to guide him Stork. Do you know why? Because you will live a small life. You will have small things and carry out small acts. But you will find something better. You will find love, and friendship, and those who would gladly die to save your life. Through them, you will do great and wondrous things. Now tell your brother this, and help him find the right path again.'"

Draven stared blankly at his brother, taking in all that had been said. Then his face contorted in anger and he lunged at Stork, only to find his face pressed up against the plastic. With both hands curled into fists, Draven yelled at the merb who simply sat there, indifferent. "You bastard! I knew mother favored you! You warped her mind and took advantage of her weakness! You turned her against me in death!"

Stork ignored these words and slowly stood from his seat. His once pained and tired eyes now only showed pity as he looked upon his struggling brother. "I will be here the day you are released and I will try to help you find what I have found. For mother…" Falling back to his chair, Draven glared at Stork. "And what persay have you found?" Before turning to leave, Stork gave him two words. Two words that summed up his life, two words that meant love, friendship, loyalty, and home. "The Storm Hawks."

**The End**

-(SH)-

**A/N: **I'd like to thank everyone who had reviewed and I hope you liked the ending. It's the longest chapter in the story and I hope it gets the most reviews. Hint, hint! Anyway, to acknowledge everyone who reviewed at least once by November 26:

Phantom88

Tall, Green, and Handsome

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Jackal of darkness

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Supergirl saves the world

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Storkie

Thank-you again for reviewing and I had a good time writing this story. I hope you enjoyed and hopefully you will read my future Storm Hawk fanfictions. Anything you are unclear about, then please don't hesitate to ask. I'll answer any questions you may have. Thank-you, and hope to be hearing from you again!


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